Hey, it's the New Girl
by MortalShadowhunter
Summary: Parabatai should be inseparable, shouldn't they? These bonds between Will and Jem are tested when Tessa Gray, a smart, caring, and talented girl, enters their life. However, no matter what happens, they try to meld broken bonds when they realize that united they stand, and divided they fall. AU: Modern Time. I'm going to be honest and say...Like, the first 10 chapters are horrid...
1. The New Girl

**Author's Note: PLEASE READ!**

**I accidentally replaced this chapter with an later chapter and I deleted the document of the first chapter, so I am rewriting it right now.**

**For new people to the story, pretty much all that happens is that Will is pissed at Gabriel, Jem is holding him back, and then they meet Tessa who is the new girl at school.**


	2. Daggers and Demons

"Tessa, right?" A tall, thin girl sashayed over to Tessa, giving her a beaming smile. Her eyes with glittering like lapis and her black, straight hair was thrown decadently over her shoulder. She grinned again at Tessa, her stark white teeth gleaming at her. "My brother has told me all about you!"

"Oh...did he?" Tessa said, bewildered. She glanced behind her and than back at the girl who was staring at her expectantly. "You're Cecily...right? Will's brother?"

"Right! He said you were really smart and pretty. He doesn't talk that way about anyone! Even Jem looked distracted and he never looks distracted." Cecily laughed enthusiastically. How many coffee's had this girl drunken? "If you are the only girl in the entire school that can make Jem, the famous, innocent, gorgeous Jem, swoon girl, I think we are going to become really fast friends."

"Cecily? You've had too much sugar today." Jem muttered as he came out the door behind her. "You probably just made us all sound that absolute freaks-"

"Not to say that my brother isn't one." Cecily giggled, putting her thumb through the belt loops of her very short, very neon shorts. _No wonder Gabriel likes her._ _She's beautiful_, Tessa had to admit, _just like her brother...who turns out to be a weird-ass creep._ "I, James, have only had a couple chocolate bars, and yet-" She twirled around, "You have to admit that I remain flawless."

"Sure. Whatever you say, Cecy." He smiled helplessly at her, giving Tessa an awkward glance. "Its afterschool, though. Tessa's only been here for a week and you are sabotaging her with-"

"Friend requests! Makeup tutorials. Popularity boosts!" Turning to Jem, Cecily flipped her hair. "Gotta go. Volleyball practice." Giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, she started happily down the street, her hips swaying like a ticking metronome.

"You seem close." Tessa pointed out. "Have you guys ever da-"

"No." Jem interrupted hastily. "No. Not only would Will kill me and Cecy, but she's like a sister. It wouldn't feel right."

"Damn right I would kill you." Will called as he swung the door from the gym open, giving Tessa a not so subtle wink. "But I would probably chop your hand up first, and then your arm. Then it would be really painful."

"Ouch." Jem frowned, pushing his hair from his eyes. It was only then that Tessa noticed a silver streak in the midst of the black, but she pushed it off as a trick of light. "Come on, Will. We have to go back home. Charlotte asked us to come straight home today for...you know." Jem raised his eyebrow slightly to insinuate a point. Giving him a knowing look, Will turned back to Tessa.

"We have to go. Our excellency calls us." Will pulled Jem's arm, leaving Tessa staring after them.

**~~ooo~~**

"Glamours, Will!" Charlotte reminded, giving him a dagger. Will made an impatient noise in the back of his throat, but moved to snatch a stele. Jem was already at his side, cupping his neck and burning a Mendelin rune into his throat. "Now, careful. That Ravener has already murdered one mundane."

"We will. By the Angel, we aren't little kids anymore." Will muttered, stalking outside. Jem followed him, sliding a seraph blade into a sheath. "The demon is just around the corner. We should find it easily." Will said as they headed down the street.

Jem paused, his eyes widening at the intersection. "Yeah. I think I found it."

"Damn."

The demon was enormous as it morphed out of it's human form, being careful to stay in the shade. It had a long, barbed stinger that thrashed in the air, whistling as it swung through the air. It scuttled across the ground, looking vaguely like an oversized scorpion. It caught sight of Jem and Will, screeching a high pitched ring in the air. Opening it's drooling, murky green mouth, it's second row of razor sharp teeth gnashed at them.

Advancing forward, Will snapped a dagger at it, hitting it in the eye. Ichor spewed from the wound, eating away slowly at the cement. Slipping his seraph blade from his sheath, Jem signaled for Will to distract it. Throwing another dagger at it, Will hissed in conviction when it sank into it's other eye, rendering it blind. Thrashing pitifully on the ground, it waved it's stinger desperately in Will's direction. Jem leapt forward and sank the blade into it's back, twisting it into the demon's flesh.

It hitched and sank to the ground, it's insect-like legs twitching before stopping altogether. Jem wiped the seraph blade off on it's side, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "That was a good one. It was fast."

"You are my parabatai, aren't you?" Will said, punching Jem lightly in the shoulder. "Come on. Cecy is going to be mad if she realizes we went on an expedition without her. Did Tessa really believe her when she said she was going to volleyball practice."

"Well, yeah. Many people do volleyball." Jem defended, shrugging. "It's not like we can just tell Tessa that she went to go repair her assortment of daggers."

"Aye. I guess so." Will said, defeated.

"Your sister freaks her out."

"She freaks everyone out."

"Not Gabriel."

Snarling in annoyance, Will slid his dagger back into his weapons belt. "You're lucky you're my best friend, Jem, or you would have been dead a long time ago. By the Angel, why are we parabatai?"

"You are the one that asked me."

"Can I un-ask you?"

"Unfortunately no, but I'm sure if you could, you wouldn't. Despite all the times we anger each other, we always make up, don't we?"

"Maybe." Will sighed. "But I still don't forgive you for locking me in the closet with that duck. It was awful."

Jem smiled. "I'm happy you enjoyed it."


	3. Acquaintances

Will flashed a charming smile at a girl with lilac tipped hair, blowing a kiss in her direction. She looked at him shyly, fighting a sheepish grin. Elbowing Will in the ribs for the tenth time that week, Jem muttered under his breath about what a go getter Will was when it came to flirting with girls, a statement that Will chose to ignore. Swinging the door to first period open, Will nearly barreled into Hyacinth. She glared at him, hurrying past Will with furious urgency.

"I love you too!" Will called behind him, infuriating the girl even more.

"She hates you." Jem whispered loudly, raising an eyebrow at Will. Shrugging, Will stepped inside, depositing his backpack on his desk. It had been a wonder why and how Mr. Lightwood allowed Jem and Will to sit together because of their incessant talking. Well, Will would talk and Jem would tell him to shut up, but that never stopped Will from making an enormous scene out of them.

"Did you finish the chemistry project yet?" Will asked, tipping his head to the side in Jem's direction.

"No. Almost. I just need to print out the summaries." Jem murmured. Will gave a look of disgust at the teacher. "After all, it's due tomorrow so I have time."

"By the Angel, he hardly gave us any time to work on it." Muttered Will, putting his elbow on the desk and resting his head on his hand. "He's annoying, hardly insightful and stupid. Hence his name, Bene-dick Lightwood."

"You're so awful." Jem said, covering his mouth and grinning into his hand. "Could you possibly be any ruder? Wait, don't answer that."

"Of course I can." Will boasted anyway, poking Gabriel in the back. He turned around, his green gray eyes sharp with annoyance. "Hey, Lightworm. There's your daddy. Did you make sure to give him a big kiss? Or, of course, we can repeat the dare where you go eat the worm and I watch. Last time we did that, it boosted your ego- which just goes to show how low it was in the first place."

"You can go-"

"Can you both just shut up?" Gideon snapped as the bell rang, startling them all into their seats. "You're acting like complete fools!" Scowling furiously, Gabriel turned around, his hands clenching into fists. Still smirking, Will turned his attention back to the board, making rude gestures every time Mr. Lightwood turned his back.

**~~ooo~~**

"We have a stupid English project too?" Will hissed when the bell to leave fifth period had rung, clenching the paper in his hands. "I went through years of school in the Idris Academy thing-"

"No you didn't. We stayed at the Institute to learn." Jem interrupted, folding his paper into a neat square before sticking it in his pocket.

"Whatever. But now we have to write an essay on a stupid book!"

"I thought you liked books."

"I do, but I hate writing essay's. I mean, who doesn't?" Stalking angrily into the library, he went to a shelf and immediately pulled one of his favorite books off, _The Moonstone, _by Wilkie Collins. Jem sighed, looking around at the mass of books that he had no particular interest reading nor doing an English essay on. Ignoring the check out librarian, Will caught sight of Cecily. As he walked over, Tessa, who was behind Cecily, gave her a little poke.

"Will? I'm surprised you aren't halfway through that book. Collins is sort of your thing." Cecily chirped loudly, her big blue eyes glittering with ecstatic energy. "Tessa and I were just getting our books for the project. By the Angel, I despise English."

"I didn't know you liked Collins." Tessa laughed slightly, turning to face Will. She had a book clutched in her hand, eyeing the one in Will's. "Not many people do. I don't know. I like classics and old books."

"Ah, so which one did you pick?" Will said smugly, holding his copy up. "I went for his best novel."

"_Armadale_," said Tessa as she slid the copy onto the desk. Noticing Jem, she offered him a grin. "What book did you get?"

"Oh," Jem said, flustered. "I don't read. I mean, I do read. Of course I read, but only if I have to. Um, I don't read that much." He laughed nervously. "I read music. Will's always been more into literature, I have always excelled in Music. He has the highest reading level in the whole school."

"How do you know that?" Tessa asked, looking puzzled.

Jem and Will exchanged sly looks, turning back to her and saying simultaneously, "We might have hacked into the computer system and checked."

"That's amazing!"

"Jem preformed at the Carnegie Hall...twice." Will pointed out as if it were common knowledge. Looking back to Tessa, Will ran a hand cheekily through his hair. "So, Tessa. You like books, I like books. We are going to have to have dinner some night. It's inevitable."

"I would just get it done with if I were you. He's relentless." Cecily said, leaning close to Tessa. Putting her arm over her shoulder, Cecily whispered something happily into Tessa's ear.

"Or we can get coffee." Will offered. "Without you, Cecy. You've had enough sugar and caffeine to fuel Henry for a month."

"Oh, alright." Tessa said resignedly. She picked her book back up and slipped her backpack on. Giving him a small nod, she clutched her book tighter. "Coffees good."

"What do you say? Tomorrow after school, whatever? In a week?"

"Tomorrow after school is good." Tessa smiled softly, walking away slowly out of the library. Will stared after her, his eyes gleaming and his mouth slightly open. Cecily and Jem looked at each other and shrugged, both confused as to how Will had gotten so unfocused over a girl he just met.


	4. Accent Tagging

"Don't let him invite you home!" Cecily called as she walked away from Will and Tessa. Half expecting Jem to show up, Will was only half surprised when he didn't. Jem, his best friend, had been studiously and consistently avoiding him for the entire day, which wasn't really possible since they both had the exact same schedule and sat next to each other in five periods out of seven.

"When your all quiet, is it your good side?" Tessa asked good naturedly, staring at Will's blank face. He turned to her, a small smile playing on his lips.

"No. That means enemies beware. When I'm quiet, it probably means I'm planning a murder...I don't think anyone plans a murder out loud."

"You know, somehow, I don't know whether to ignore it or actually believe you."

"Ah, with me, you never know." Giving her a coquettish glance, he grinned for a split second before starting to walk down to the coffee shop with her. Thankfully, it was only a block away. In such a small town, everything was close and everyone knew everybody.

"So, what's the big story?"

"What?"

"You and Jem are different. You're not like any of the people I have ever met. You don't ever go to school until last year and then you treat everyone differently. I'm not stupid. There's something you're hiding." Tessa said bluntly, though her voice didn't accusing. Will sidestepped a small crevice in the cement, frowning.

"It's a long story."

"We've got time."

"It's not mine to tell."

"Just give me something to work with." Tessa insisted.

"Long story short, I leave my parents, Jem's parents are murdered, we meet, Charlotte and Henry take us in, and my little sis follows me. That is my life story in a nutshell. Bland, huh?"

"That's awful." Tessa said, her mouth an O in surprise.

"You wouldn't understand."

"No, I do. Really, I do." Tessa smiled warmly, her gray eyes dark. "My parents died in a car crash. My aunt took me and my brother in. He got involved in some...not so great stuff and he killed my aunt. I'm living with some girl that took me in. Sophie Collins- you know her?"

"Yeah." Will breathed, staring at Tessa. He drew in a sharp breath before moving to open the door of the coffee shop for her. Thanking him, she looked up, her eyes widening it the amount of choices on the menu. Will laughed at her wondrous expression as her eyes flitted over the choices. "Not many coffee shops where you come from, Tess?"

"No. I, uh, came from New York, but the coffee shops there are horrific. There are only perhaps seven or eight different options and each of them worsens by the year. What do you normally get? Good gracious, how do you even decide?"

"I get the caramel and chocolate frap."

"Oh, I've never cared for chocolate...or caramel."

Will gasped in mock horror. "What kind of evil monster doesn't like chocolate? And, you know, your American accent is starting to show through. Who says car-mel? I thought it was pronounced car-a-mel."

"Are we really going to do an accent tag in the middle of a coffee shop?"

"After I order." Getting in line, Will looked up at the menu and back at Tessa, who was still staring at it. Stepping beside him in line, she studied the pastries the glass container.

"Do that wrap it in the paper or aluminum?"

"Aluminum? Is that how you pronounce it? Uh-loo-min-um? That's ridiculous. They wrap it in aluminum."

"I've never heard it pronounced al-loo-minny-um. There's no I after the N!"

"But it does sound so much nicer." Stepping up, he grinned at the boy taking orders. "Thomas! I didn't know you still worked here. I thought you said last week you were going to move to that old video game place."

"I was but eh, better pay here." Thomas said. "What are you going to get?"

**~~ooo~~**

Drawing the bow from it's case and placing it delicately on the strings, Jem propped his violin on his shoulder at the base of his throat. Pressing his fingers into the strings, he closed his eyes and played.

By now, he had memorized every song he had ever learned, like Will had memorized quotes from books. The notes that came out were soft and sweet and sad, slipping mournfully through the room. A hot, burning pressure settled in his chest as the notes spilled out like water, rising to a crescendo. His hand ached and his fingertips stung, but he was convinced that the longer he played, the more likely the unsettling feeling he had would go away.

There was a click at the door and it sprung open, revealing Cecily kneeling on the ground with a bobby pin in her hand. Turning around to look at her, Jem stopped playing, holding his bow to his side. "By the Angel, Cecily. You startled me."

"You locked the door." Cecily said disapprovingly. Standing up, she pocketed her pin in her neon pink shorts. "You never lock your door."

"Well, the world is full of surprises, isn't it?" Jem murmured, setting his violin and bow carefully back in it's case. "Has Will come back yet? He's been out an awful long time."

"He's only been out for an hour."

"Who knows what he does in an hour. Why did you come in Cecy? Is there something the matter?"

"Yes." Tossing Jem his weapons belt and stele, she gestured for him to go outside with her. "Its awful, James. You're not going to believe it."

"What?" Jem said, his voice growing concerned. "What is it Cecy?"

"Marbas." She whispered. Her eyes grew flat, her voice edged with fear. "Marbas is back."

**Author's Note: Thanks for asking Jill! This is going to be both Wessa and Jessa. Since I am a hardcore Jessa and most of my fics are about that, I decided to do a little Wessa for variety. **


	5. Now You See Me

"What?" Jem breathed, his eyes widening. "But, no. Marbas was killed, remember? I mean, I know he has some sort of vendetta against the Herondales, but its not like he can come back to life."

"Jem. He's a goddamned demon, and a powerful one to boot. Now, if my brother knows, he's going to freak. The first time Will saw Marbas what when he poisoned Ella and she was killed. Then Will was given death threats and was stalked until Marbas was supposedly executed." Cecily said, her cheerful attitude gone. She tucked a dagger in her shoe and pulled a stele from her pocket. "Now we have to go make sure that he's gone and dead by the time Will get's home."

Burning a glamour rune into her hand, she pulled her hair back into a high ponytail, wiping strands from her eyes. Jem sighed and glamoured himself as well before slipping his stele into his weapons belt. "Where is he...it? Whatever it is."

Cecily looked up, her top teeth biting at her bottom lip. "See, that's the problem. I don't know. I saw it when I was walking here. We won't be able to find it without covering more ground."

"That's...Wait." Jem froze, his eyes searching around for something. He hurried over his bed, pulling a case out from underneath it. Rummaging through it's contents, he held up a small, black box. "Its a Sensor. Henry finished it last week. I don't know whether it works or not but it's worth a try."

"Oh, in Raziel's name, give it to me. If it explodes though, it's not my fault." Cecily muttered, snatching the Sensor from his hand. Fumbling with it for a few moments, she hit a button and it clicked, a dim red light on the screen. "Got it. Come one, we have to go before Will comes back home."

**~~ooo~~**

"His sisters a bloody maniac, she is." Will said to Tessa, kicking a rock onto someone's pristine lawn. "When we were both twelve, she was absolutely convinced she was in love with me, of course I can't blame her. I was a very charming twelve year old...mostly. At one Christmas party, I found her diary filled with all sorts of love stories and what our marriage would be like, so, once that one Elise woman stopped playing on the damned spinet, I read them aloud to the entire crowd."

Tessa's mouth fell open, trying to choke back a surprised laugh. "You did not!"

"Oh, but I did." Will grinned slyly, putting his hands in his pockets. "She then proceeded to burst into tears and run from the room. Gabriel, her older brother, tackled me on the stage and we got into a fight. In the end, it ended up with him having a broken arm and me looking down triumphantly at him...It was a pity that Charlotte and Henry and pretty much everyone else didn't share my utter joy."

"That's horrid." Tessa scolded. She glanced at him sideways, raising a curious eyebrow. "You're so strange. Why did you do such an awful thing to Gabriel? he isn't that bad."

"_Hell is empty and all the devils are here_." Will quoted as the school came into view. "He's a devilish bastard. Plus he's dating my sister. Not cool. I swear, if I see them together, you and Jem are going to need to help me did a new grave at the cemetery."

"That was Shakespeare, wasn't it?"

"Gabriel is definitely not Shakespeare."

"No." Tessa laughed, light and breathily, her eyes looking like cloudy skies, like London skies. "I meant the quote."

"Oh. Yes, but Gabriel is still not Shakespeare." He looked sideways, seeing two people dart quickly across the street. He instantly tensed, anger dancing in his tone. "Listen, Tess. Oh, shit. By the Angel, I have to go. I just, got something and yeah." He backed away as he spoke, turning around and sprinting to where the figures had disappeared before he could see the look of hurt in Tessa's gaze.

He caught sight of them again as they flickered on the side of the street. Something in one of the figure's hand was glowing red, pulsing feverishly. Will breathing was coming hard and fast as he struggled to catch up, his footsteps loud and gravely on the street. Narrowly missing the two figures fade behind a building, he looked around frantically, trying to peel away the strong glamours.

Something moved at the edge of his vision, looking like a ripple in water. As a last ditch effort to get the escaping figure, he pushed himself forward, barreling into the invisible figure. It thrashed underneath him, snapping him hard in the side of his head and rolling him over. The sharp point of a dagger was pressed into his throat as the figure pinned him down underneath him. Then, there was an exasperated sigh and the weight on his chest lifted.

"Will?" The voice said in annoyance, pocketing his dagger. Sitting himself up, Will squinted at the ripple in the air and the glamour was peeled away.

"James? What in hell are you doing...Cecy?" Will glanced around, a scowl forming in his face. "God, Jem. My head is spinning. I didn't know you were that wild."

"You tackled me and I didn't know who...or what you were. What was I supposed to do?" Jem shrugged, slipping the Sensor in his pocket. "I didn't expect to see you out here."

"I could say the same about you."

"Listen, Will." Cecily said loudly over Will, wiping her forehead with her hand. "We just caught sight of a demon. We figured we would use the Sensor to see if it actually worked...Yeah. That's it."

"And does it work?" Will asked.

"Um. No," Jem made a split second decision, holding the Sensor up. "The light bulb is broken...It shines everywhere. It is faulty...or it might have just been because your sister dropped it a million times." Pulling Will up, he started to walk the opposite way they came. "Come on. Lets go back home."

"...Fine." Will muttered, swearing in Welsh as he rubbed the side of his head.


	6. Asian Invasion

"Can you be _more_ conspicuous about this? You almost blurted out to Will what we were going to do!" Cecily said, exasperation lying subtly beneath her worried tone. "Listen, it's been a week since the whole Marbas incident. We have to go find it."

Jem slipped his backpack on, opening the front gate to school. Frowning slightly, he shrugged. "I think Will deserves to know what we are doing. Can't you see him getting suspicious? We should tell him. He's my parabatai."

"He's my brother. Don't you see-" Cecily broke off her sentence when she saw Tessa walking towards them, a look of discontent etched clearly in her face. Cecily reverted back to her peppy attitude, giving Tessa a wave and a grin. "Hi Tessa. I didn't see you yesterday lunch!"

"Where were you two?" She asked, glancing from Jem back to Cecily.

"Out getting lunch at this new place." Cecily chattered, her newly curled hair bouncing like springs as she hurried towards Tessa. "It's this new Chinese place that Jem-" Jem muttered something under his breath to Cecily- "What? I'm not trying to be stereotypical or racist but it's sort of hard not to when you, especially you, want to go to a place that serves only Chinese food."

"It was not Chinese food!" Jem said incredulously, throwing his hands up in the air. "Sushi is not Chinese. Its Japanese."

"Its Asian." Cecily shrugged. "You're Asian...somewhat. It works."

"You are?" Tessa said, looking at him. "I didn't know."

"Half. My father is...was English and my mother was Chinese."

"Whoomp! There it is!" Will called from inside the campus, coming up from behind Tessa. "Well, shit. The secret is out that Jem's Asian. Now you can see where his smarts come from. Be prepared for the Asian invasion! God, I think you're the only Asian guy at school."

"There's Magnus. You know, one of your best friends...Sort of. It's a love hate relationship with him." Cecily crossed her arms, her smile reeking with sappiness and amusement. "Unless you've forgotten about him. That would be pretty hard, especially since he helped you and spent the last 100 years-" Will glared at his sister, miming zipping her lips and cutting off her head- "Never mind." She laughed sheepishly and turned to Jem. "Help me out here."

"Why don't we just all forget about this conversation and go to class." Jem said, his face reddening slightly.

"Ahem. It's lunch period." Will pointed out, looking suspiciously at Jem's troubled expression.

"Well, damn it. I'm going in." Cecily said, leaving and walking away from the group into the school lunch grounds. She went over to Gabriel, pecking him on the cheek before taking his hand and walking to the library. At that moment, Jem was very relieved Will had his back turned. A loud bell startled them all, students rushing to their classes and repack their backpacks. With a soft sigh, Jem headed to his class, ignoring Will's call for him. Tessa hurried up beside him, her books clutched in her hand.

"Hi. You alright?" She said, looking at his sullen expression.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Cracking a small smile, he nodded.

"You're in my Calculus class, right? Next period?"

"Mmmhmm."

"What's Will's next period?"

"...Pre Calculus." Jem said after a moments hesitation.

"Did he fail it last year?"

"No, well, yes. But not because of grades." Jem replied, looking behind him as if Will might have been there. "He got into some trouble with the teacher. Detention, suspension, almost expulsion...but it wasn't bad enough for him to get expelled."

"What did he do?"

Jem swallowed. He couldn't tell Tessa that the reason for Will's failure in class was because he killed a demon disguised as a student in class. It had taken almost 40 of Charlotte's persuasion runes to convince everyone who saw him kill the demon dismiss it as him fighting another student and sending the kid to the nurses office. He stuttered, "Umm. J-Just some fighting. He's had a violent past. We all have." Pushing the door to Calculus open, he groaned when the teacher, Mr. Penhallow, had a few problems on the board.

"Today, we are going to be doing a pop quiz on the board for a few specific people that I have chosen at random." He said gruffly. George Penhallow was fairly young compared to most teachers, but his surly demeanor made him almost as bad as Mr. Lightwood. "James, Jessamine, and Gideon. Work out these problems on the board and then tell us how you did them."

Gideon went up first, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he wrote out the problem on the board. "You see, if you move this variable down using postulate 3, then you can find out how much x is." He rambled on, resulting in the correct answer which made Jem feel even less unsure of himself. Jessamine was absolutely clueless, scribbling and erasing her work as she tried to multiply two decimals together. Jem couldn't help but feel relieved when she got the wrong answer.

Standing up, he walked slowly to the board as he stared at the problem. 'A spring has a natural length of 20 cm. A 40 N force is required to stretch (and hold the spring) to a length of 30 cm. How much work is done in stretching the spring from 35 cm to 38 cm?' _What in Raziel's name is N force? _Taking the expo marker in one hand and shaking as he fought to concentrate, he cleared his throat. "This example will require Hooke's Law to determine the force. Hooke's Law tells us that the force required to stretch a spring a distance of _x_ meters from its natural length is f(x)=kx."

"Good, good." Mr. Penhallow said under his breath, studying how he did the problem.

"The first thing that we need to do is determine the spring constant for this spring. We can do that using the initial information. A force of 40 N is required to stretch the spring 30cm-20cm = 10cm = 0.10m from its natural length. We want to know the work required to stretch the spring from 35cm to 38cm. First we need to convert these into distances from the natural length in meters. Doing that gives us _x_'s of 0.15m and 0.18m. Then you get 1.98J."

"What the heck?" Conrad sputtered, staring confusedly at the board.

"No. It's really quite simple." Gideon remarked, standing up. "Using Hooke's Law we have 40=0.10k which translates to k=400. Then all you have to do is subtract and find the correct form." He stood by Jem, taking the expo from his hand. Lowering his voice to a whisper, he looked urgently at Jem. "Demon. Moloch. Right outside."

"What?"

"I saw a demon outside. I can't go. Mr. Penhallow hates me already."

"What am I going to say? He doesn't give bathroom passes since it's right after lunch."

Grabbing Jem's hand, Gideon snapped a pocket knife from his pocket. Cutting it quickly across Jem's palm before he had the chance to pull away, he slipped the blade back inside his pocket. "There. Now you have an excuse."

"Ow." Jem spun around, his hand burning as blood pulsed out from the wound. It dripped onto the floor, staining the course beige carpet. "Can I go? Nurses office?"

"What on earth did you do?" Mr. Penhallow said, looking in puzzlement at Jem's hand.

"Wow. Um, the insanely sharp expo marker drove itself into his palm and he's going to bleed to death." Gideon lied, barely able to contain a snort of laughter.

"Go, go. Get that cut cleaned up." Mr. Penhallow dismissed, eyeing the expo marker. Jem sprinted from the room, banging the door shut as he looked around for the Moloch demon.


	7. Poisonous Intentions

This was one of the few times that Jem was glad to have walked in on Will when he was changing in the school locker rooms during class. It hadn't been pretty, but Jem had gotten a glimpse of what was inside his locker. Remembering about the secret weapons Will would stuff in it, Jem ran to the locker room, trying to find Will's.

"Oh, thank Raziel." Jem breathed when he recognized the scratch Will had 'accidentally' carved on the locker next to him. Slipping a paperclip from his pocket, he twisted it inside, utterly thankful that Cecily had taught him how to pick locks with paperclips and bobby pins. It clicked open, revealing a stele and seraph dagger the length of his hand. As he reached inside to grab it, blood smeared on the weapons, dripping onto the floor and inside his locker.

Quickly applying an iratze to his arm, Jem glamoured himself and closed the locker, heading outside. A swarm of creatures stood in his path that were definitely not Moloch demons, but Elapid demons. Letting out a small yelp as it spat at him, Jem jumped back. Quickly taking out his stele, he burned an enkeli rune on the blade, imbuing it with angelic properties. At least half a dozen Elapid swirled around him, their cobra like mouths spewing putrid venom at him.

Shoving his dagger into the neck of one of the advancing demons, he turned on his heel as one came up behind him. Ducking as it snapped at him with it's enormous fangs, Jem slid underneath it, slicing a long gash down it's abdomen. It collapsed, screeching as it's clawed legs cracked under it and spilled burning ichor on the pavement.

The two dead demons disappeared with a puff of ash, leaving a trace of rotting flesh and burning coal behind it. The other four demons cornered him, hissing and thrashing their scaly heads. The dagger in his hand had begun to flicker, the rune starting to fade. Darting between two of the demons, one barreled at him, it's dripping mouth open wide.

Moving out of the way at the last second, the Elapid sank it's fangs into the demon that had been behind Jem. The bitten demon crumpled to the floor, ichor spurting from it's wound. It imploded just like the other two demons, a few sparks and drops of ichor singing Jem's hand.

One barreled at Jem, but he decapitated it with a swift move of the dagger. A sharp pain ran up his arm as another one lashed out at him, grazing his arm. Yanking his dagger from the bodiless head, he stabbed the other Elapid. A searing burn went up his other arm as he sank the dagger into the other demon's flesh. Glancing over, the last live demon had it's fangs in his arm, venom burning his skin.

With one last heave of energy, he whipped the dagger forward, imbedding it into the demon's skull. Sinking to the ground, the impaled demon died, teleporting back to the Void.

Jem took a ragged breath, looking at his bloodied arm. Shakily drawing an iratze next to it, he waited for the cut to start healing, but the rune merely turned white and was a faint lacing of a scar. Redrawing the iratze, it disappeared again, not doing anything to help the poisoned cut.

Pushing himself to his feet, he stumbled deliriously, leaning against the wall. His arm was going numb and his vision went blurry, but all he could think about was getting to Will.

He started walking with more urgency, jogging towards Will's classroom. Suppressing a choked cry of pain as his wound hot fire into his fingertips, he clutched his shoulder and pulled himself along. His head was throbbing, the edges of his sight going black. His thoughts were pounding in his mind like so many nails being forced into his skull. _Just find Will, just find Will._

Looking to the side, he saw Will's classroom, so close yet so far. Digging his nails into his shoulder, Jem blinked, trying to focus on the door. His hand missed the doorknob, his touch fading. Finally managing to open it, he was greeted by the horrified stares of the people in the classrooms. His arm was coated in a slick layer of blood, dripping profusely onto the linoleum tiling.

"James?" Will stood up, ignoring the confused stares that the people in the classroom exchanged. There was an exchange of whispers in the classroom, glancing from Will to Jem and then to his red smeared arm. Hurrying over to Jem, Will's eyes were wide and crazed. "What happened?"

"Mr. Herondale. You are not excused from your seat!" Ms. Highsmith snapped, her catlike eyes narrowing with frustration at Will. Her hair was tied up in a raven black bun, her thin lips pressed together in scrutiny. "Get back in your chair or else you will get detention again for the second time this week. You know the three strikes policy. I could change it to suspension."

"To hell with detention." Will snarled at her. Turning back to Jem, he looked at the two, circular gashes in his arm. "What? Who? Explain!"

"Elapid." Jem said, forcing his mouth to form words. Will slung Jem's arm over his shoulder as he helped Jem back out. Jem was limping, his pupils swallowed up by the brown and silver flecks in his irises. "Iratzes. Not. Working."

"Jem. Just stay with me. We need to get to Henry. He's teaching science right now. What room is he?" Will said frantically, his shoulder sagging under Jem's weight.

"E-" Jem drew in a shallow breath. "One. One. Seven."

"Come on!" Will pleaded, his voice growing sharp, but Jem was already falling. The world around him had already gone black though his eyes were open. He crumpled to the ground, the sound around him buffering and fading until he could only hear ringing.


	8. And Thus Wessa Begins

"Will. You're upsetting him!" Charlotte said, standing in front of Jem protectively. Jem's eyes were half open, his lashes fluttering as he forced to keep them open. Taking Will and marching him outside, she closed the door behind her. "What Jem needs is rest, blood transplant runes, healing runes and quiet. You need to stay out for a while since you aren't letting him get those things."

"Charlotte. He's my parabatai." Will snapped angrily, his hands clenching into fists. "You're not my mother. You can't tell me what to do."

"Listen to me, Will. All your raging isn't good for him. I need you to listen to me and stay outside while he heals." Charlotte ordered, slipping back inside the room. Will spun around, kicking the wall once with frustration. Shaking with frustration, Will stormed to the front door, swinging it open and exiting. Slamming the door closed and walking down the front path, he pulled the hood to his jacket on and stalked down the street. Since they lived on the outer cusp of London where the town was small and the only school was the high school Will went to, he didn't have anywhere to go. Still, he walked on until he was almost off his street.

"Will! Will!" A voice yelled behind him. Will whirled around to see his sister with her hands cupped around her mouth, yelling for him. "Will. Come back in!"

"Shut up, Cecy." Will called back to her, his tone dripping with anger.

"William Owen Herondale, get the hell back here!" Cecily shouted. Stopping in his tracks, Will turned back to her, raising an eyebrow. _Oh, shit. She just went there...In front of the entire neighborhood too. By the Angel, what kind of a name is Owen?_

"Cecily Linette Herondale, I'm going the hell away." Will snarled savagely. A look of hurt ghosted over Cecily's expression as she stood on the porch, her face painted in a brisk stare. She crossed her arms over her black, flowy top, one thumb hooked in the waistband over her shorts. Giving Will one last pained glance, she pulled the door back open and went inside.

His footsteps crunched on the gravel as he turned a corner of the street, looking frequently behind him to make sure no one was following him. Passing the school, he watched as a group of people exited, laughing and giggling about the common gossip, horrible teachers, and sports events. _God, why can't my life just be normal?_

Tessa came out alone after them, her backpack gone and her hands free of books. She caught Will's eye and smiled partly but dropped it when he didn't smile or even smirk back. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Has anyone told you that you ask a lot of questions?" Will muttered as she walked up.

"Yes. My brother would always tell me that, but I'm just trying to be kind. It's sort of obvious something's pissing you off."

"No. I'm perfectly fine. The sun is shining, my sister's pissed and the ducks are going to kill me."

"Ducks?" Tessa snorted. "You're afraid of ducks?"

"And you're not? You're insane." Will said, his mouth curling up into his usual smirk.

"Where are you going?"

"Out. I don't know. Somewhere where I can think bad thoughts about the Lightworms and not get killed for it...God damn it, I've got the English project. I forgot about that."

"I've only done a small bit. Someone stole my book; they took it and I have no idea where it is."

"I have _Armadale, _if you want to borrow it." Will offered, perhaps a tad too hastily. "I have a lot of his other books as well, though."

"Sure. I'd like that." Tessa smiled softly. "Is it at your house?"

"Are you asking me if it's at my house because you are really genuinely curious or just because I'm insanely charming and you want to see where I sleep?"

"More like the first one. Sorry to burst your bubble."

"Are you saying that my ego bubble was still intact? I shall have to do something about that tonight. How do you manage to pass time at night?"

"In bed-"

"Woah, Tess. You did not seem like that kind of person." Will interrupted, causing her to change her expression to a look of horror.

"Reading and sleeping! Oh my gosh, I hate you so much sometimes. You think so dirty, Will. I am _not _that kind of person."

"That's a disappointment. Dear me, and all this time I was convinced I was filthy. Come on. I do remember me offering you a book. We might as well get it before I change my mind."

"I still hate you."

"No you don't."

"I so do."

"Keep telling yourself that."

**~~ooo~~**

"Soo, this is where you live." Tessa said, looking up at the house.

"Home, crappy, home." Will shrugged, leading her up the front steps. "I'm just going to warn you, its a bit much. We have a lot of people in the house. In fact, Jem and I are moving out as soon as he turns 18."

"No, that's fine." Tessa murmured, her eyes flitting upwards at the small, black, lacing symbol carved into one of the beams. Will cracked open the door, peering inside. The door was yanked out of his hand as it swung back and Cecily was standing there glaring at Will.

"Will! Where were you? Something came-" Noticing Tessa for the first time, she stopped her sentence, her half formed words coming out incoherently as she stared at Tessa. "You brought Tessa."

"She needs a book."

"I can come back later if you want." Tessa offered, stepping back.

"No." Cecily said, the anger disappearing from her eyes. "Come on in! I'm sure Charlotte's going to be very happy to meet you. She loves new guests. Come, come. Are you thirsty? I can get you something if you want."

"No. I'm fine." Overwhelmed by the house, Tessa shook her head, giving her a limpid smile. Will grabbed her wrist and pulled her upstairs. He was very relieved that Jem had told him...or rather forced him to clean his room, so it wasn't as nearly cluttered as it usually was. Still, there were books piled up in the corners and stacked on the desk. At least the demon entrails that Will had managed to trek home one night by accident had been cleaned up the night before.

"I have _Armadale _somewhere." Will mumbled as he sifted through his bookshelf.

"This is your room?"

"Yeah. A disaster, isn't it?"

"No...well, yes, but its amazing. You have the 3rd addition of _Tale of Two Cities_, you have _Wide, Wide, World_, and all the Collins books." Tessa cried, clearly overjoyed. "And Tennyson and Shakespeare. Goodness, this is an absolute amazement...What?"

"You seem so ecstatic over some ink and paper. I like books, but I'm not book crazy."

"Ahem, you have four copies of _Twilight_."

"Yeah. About that..." Will said, scratching his head. "That was a punishment from Jem because I may or may not have replaced all his food with instant ramen. He had me go into a store and buy four copies and read all of them. I swear, my brain almost rotted."

"Speaking of Jem, where is he?"

Will tensed, his eyes narrowing. "He was hurt...badly. He's going to be fine though."

"Oh." Picking up a book from the floor, Tessa held it tight in her hands. She glanced down at the floor and then back to Will, a sympathetic sheen in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I heard that some guy got hurt yesterday but I didn't know who. Anyway...I found the book I was looking for. Thanks again, Will. I should go now." She turned around slowly, moving to walk down the hall when Will put his hand on his shoulder.

"Wait."

Tessa looked at him, utterly confused. "What is it?" Putting his hand under her chin lightly, Will brought his mouth down and kissed her.

It was short and brief but sweet. As he pulled away, she stared up at him in surprise, her lips slightly open. Will grinned. "I told you that you don't hate me."


	9. Jem Curses?

It was first time Will could ever recall being truly happy.

His hand was currently being occupied by the, in his opinion, prettiest girl in school, besides himself of course, Gabriel flunked his Pre Calculus test and Jem recovered in no time. Even Jessamine, Hyacinth, and a few other girls that Will was almost positive he dated at the beginning of his junior year were staring jealously at Tessa. To agitate them even more, he blew a sappy kiss in their direction.

"Come on. By the time we get back, you and everyone else are going to be dead in the nursery home." Will teased, pulling Tessa along the street. She laughed, her brown hair flying behind her as a breeze swept through the air.

"And where would you be? In the coffin next to me?"

"No. I'd be the one mourning it. I'm so charming, I've charmed the god of aging...whoever he is, so much that he lies limply on the floor a few miles from me. He'll never touch me. Don't be too jealous, Tess."

"Mmhmm, sure. And you're a good cook."

"Oh, I am the best." Will said adamantly, slowing down as the house came into view. "You just don't know it yet."

"I'm sorry I underestimated the power of your pan-o-inedible-stuff. It was awful. It tasted worse than cat crap."

"Unless I'm going deaf, I believe you just confessed that you eat cat shit."

"No. Uggh. Of course not. I'm just making an educated inference since that is sort of what the food that you tried to cook looked like." She said with disgust in her voice. Will opened the door, pulling her quickly inside before shutting it closed quietly.

"Shhh. Stay utterly soundless." Will grinned mischievously in her direction. He took her wrist softly, leading her to a closed door. There was music coming from it, sweet and high like a violin. Holding his finger to his lips, Will put his other hand on the doorknob. "Prepare to hear Jem curse." Swinging open the door quickly and shouting, "Jem!", Will burst into the room with enthusiasm.

"Cào!" Jem said instantly before clasping his hand over his mouth. "By the Angel, Will. Don't. Do. That."

"Wooh. That was a good one, my dear James brother friend...thing."

"So I'm a thing now?"

"Sometimes. But, in Raziel's name, I was not expecting that one. Good one, Jem."

"What, what did you say?" Tessa asked, entering the room hesitantly.

"Just think of the worst curse word you can think of, and then think of Jem shouting it at the top of his lungs in Mandarin. That was a special one. I don't think he had the guts to say it. He hardly ever curses, in English or Mandarin."

"Yáng guǐzi. Guǐlǎo. Mán zi." Jem said sourly, setting his violin down. When he saw Tessa, he smiled shyly at her. "That wasn't directed at you, by the way. It was specifically for Will."

"I'm not a foreign devil, nor a ghost guy...eh, but I might be a barbarian, but definitely not foreign." Will retorted, his blue eyes gleaming with mirth.

"You've been gone for a while, Will...Tessa. Cecily was beginning to wonder if you were both dead at the bottom of a river. I stopped her numerous times from tracking you both, but she still insists that Tessa needs to go shopping with her." Placing his violin carefully in his case, Jem tucked his bow next to it with great care. "It's strange seeing Will so obsessed over a _girl_." Jem said good naturedly, his tone light and kind as always. "But I can't help but like that his attention has been diverted somewhere else. At least he won't be dead set on destroying my room anymore."

"We are not together." Will and Tessa said simultaneously. Will sighed. "I only destroyed your room once, and that was only because Henry had given me this block of something, and when I pressed the button, it started burning so I...accidentally threw it into your room."

"Sure." Jem said sarcastically, his mouth twitching upwards in the corners. "And what about the time you set my bed on fire-"

"I was too hot for it."

"And tore up my music book and stuffed it down the drain."

"I swear it had a drawing of a duck in it."

"And threw my phone at Magnus."

"He kissed me."

"And did some very gross things with a certain someone from last year...in my room...very loudly."

"Fine. That was impetuous, I agree." Will threw up his hands in resignation.

"Oh, by the way, your sister is dragging us all to a paint ball arena tomorrow. She insisted that we all go."

"But tomorrows Saturday."

"...Which is exactly the reason why she wants us to go. She told me that if I didn't force you to go, she would drag me to a club. Last time she forced me to go, I almost died. I would rather die than go to one of those horrendous things again."

Will snorted with laughter. "She got you drunk and neither of you even have a fake ID."

"I swear she spiked my drink."

"I thought you would be one of those people that when they got drunk, they would pass out or something, but you just sat there and giggled all night while trying to convince Cecy to take pictures of us together and post them on the internet. I feel like I was watching a live, interactive version of _Chucky_."

"Then I will spare him from this torment and I'll go paint-balling. I've never been before." Tessa said, cutting Will off from saying anything else. "I've never been. We don't have paint-balling in New York from what I know."

"How good is your shot?" Jem asked curiously, his eyes glinting with laughter.

"Compared to most, it's not that bad."

Jem and Will gave her amused looks. Nudging Jem in the shoulder, Will smirked. "Seriously. Americans and their guns. So violent. Do you sleep with your gun too? Take showers with it? Or baths if you prefer differently?"

"I do not own a gun." Tessa rebuked, putting her hands on her hips. "Trust me, if you saw what we 'Americans' think of you English people, you would be feeling just as reprimanded as I do." Putting on her best English accent, she looked at them both in mock indignation. "Now, if all of ye will pardon me, I think I'm going to go grab some fish and chips whilst having a jolly good time drinking tea with the prince."


	10. Girls and Glitter

"Tessa." Jem called out, holding his paintball gun in one hand. "I choose Tessa."

"You didn't chose me?" Will sputtered, miming cocking the gun and shooting Jem in the head. "I'm your...brother, your paraba- friend. I'm your best friend and you didn't chose me?"

"You're an awful shot, Will. If the stereotypes are true, Tessa must be better at this than you." Jem said as Tessa walked up to stand beside him.

"Gabriel." Cecily chirped, grinning as her boyfriend walked up beside her. Will, however, stared at the Lightworm with such an intense look it reminded Jem of how a cat might stare at a mouse. Glaring at Will for a split second before poking Gabriel in his side, she shifted in her ridiculous outfit. She was wearing skin tight camouflage pants with a black leather jacket, all decked out with studded earrings and stark black eyeliner. Jem looked down at her shoes, which were black, matte five inch platform heels with glitter sloughing off of it.

Jem looked from Magnus to Will, narrowing his eyes in concentration. Finally, he said, "Magnus."

Though he wouldn't to be easy to hide in the sparse brush, Magnus was the best shot they had. After all, he had over 700 years to perfect his shooting skills. "You are all going down." He boasted, grabbing his gun and sauntering up beside Tessa. _By the Angel, _Jem thought amusedly, _Magnus could live for a thousand more years and still act like a teenager._

"I'm the last to get picked?" Will complained, scowling as he went to stand beside his sister.

"Last time, you were so off on aim that you shot me in the face and I was on your team." Gabriel reasoned, looking disappointed as Will joined their team.

"What makes you think I didn't do it on purpose? Listen, Lightworm, you touch my sister, I shoot your face. Deal?"

"What-"

"Good. It's a deal."

"Listen up, guys...and Tessa. You get hit in the arm, you can't shoot with it. You get hit in the leg, you can't walk on it. You get shot in the head, its only excused if you're Gabriel, you are shot in the stomach, it only takes one more shot on any part of your body to disqualify you. You get shot in the chest, you are dead. Any questions?"

Will raised his hand. "If I shoot someone, say Gabriel, in the nuts, how does that play out?"

"I'll shoot yours as well." Cecily snapped, her hair swirling over her shoulder as she whipped her head in Will's direction. "Alright. Shooting starts in twenty minutes. On your mark, get set, go!" Darting into the bushes, Cecily gestured for her team to follow. Instantly, Jem started moving fast in the opposite direction, moving for the thicker part of the forest. Glancing behind him, he made sure everyone was following before stopping at the edge of the forest.

"This doesn't seem like your type of game." Tessa pointed out, studying the paint gun.

"It's not, but it really hurts getting hit, so for now, we need to move fast and quietly. We're going to the forest since Magnus is too-" Jem coughed delicately- "bright and, well, shiny, to camouflage in the cliff region."

"I say we wait defense. Cecily and Will are confident. They will want to scope us out." Magnus said, touching his perfectly spiked hair. "My hair isn't that shiny today, is it?"

"High ground?" Tessa offered, giving a slight shrug.

"Brilliant! Magnus, Tessa, you're a genius. The sun. We can use the sun to our advantage. Magnus is shiny...he's wearing white, glittery leather, so he'll reflect and blend in. We just need to get to high ground." Jem looked up, scanning the tree line.

"Over there." Tessa pointed to a high rock formation which was perfectly poised in front of the sun. Even more conveniently located, there were a few dense bushes and trees that would be perfect for hiding in. Moving silently towards the far off area, Jem winced when a thorn dug into his hand. He dug it out, leaving spots of blood on a tree. Keeping his line of sight on their destination, Magnus moved ahead, scouting for obstacles.

"If you see anyone or anything, make sure you say something about it because it's scary when they start coming close. Trust me, I've been shot multiple times in the face, by Will on another occasion as well, and it doesn't turn out good." Jem said quietly, helping Tessa up as they started to incline up the hill.

"I'll shoot him. If I can get him. I'm not great, but I think I'm better than Will." Tessa smiled as they hurried up, checking their back every time they heard a snap.

"Guys. It's all clear here." Magnus called back, a little too loudly for all their tastes. "It's perfect up here. It's really bright, but when you look at it towards the way the other team is at, you can see just fine."

"Have you ever won a game?" Tessa inquired as they scaled the side of the rock wall. Thankfully, there was only a short distance between them and the top, making it easier for them to get to.

"No. Will's always on my team. He's killed me every single game whilst trying to shoot Magnus."

"Maybe the odds with be changed this time around."

"Perhaps." Sitting casually at the top, letting his legs dangle off the edge, Jem stared off into the distance. Loading the paintballs into his gun, he looked through the viewfinder, trying to find the other team.

"I saw a bird." Magnus said happily, pointing at a tree.

"That's very helpful." Tessa said sarcastically as she settled herself under the cover of a bush.

"I think I saw them," Jem murmured softly, squinting as he stared through the magnified glass, "but I'm not sure. It might have just been an animal...or wind."

Then his phone chimed 15 minutes and the pursuit began.


	11. Cheating

Magnus changed his position at the top of the rock formation, shifting his weight so he was leaning against a dense bush. "Question number 3: What is the worst thing you have done?"

Jem pondered the question for a moment, shrugging slightly. "I don't know. Not being able to save my parents I guess."

"Well, damn, James. This is depressing. Question number 4: Have you ever crushed on Will?"

"No. Of course not," Jem cracked a grin, "but if you mean literally by me wanting to actually crush him into tiny little bits at the bottom of a highway, then sometimes. I just manage to restrain myself no matter how infuriating he gets."

"Question number 5: What's the longest amount of time you've gone without eating?"

Staring out off into the distance, Jem hesitated. He set his paintball gun on the ground behind him, looking back at Magnus. "A month."

"A month!" Tessa said, her eyes widening in surprise. "How could you even survive that long without food?"

"I was...in a coma. Long story."

Tossing a small pebble down to the ground that seemed so far beneath their feet, Magnus watched as it hit a bush, sending dust flying up in the air. Running a sparkly hand through his rainbow tipped hair, Tessa was almost convinced that she saw blue sparks lace through it. "Question number 6: Honest answer, how many people have you ever dated?"

"Honest answer?" Jem said, his face flushing a light red. "No one."

"You are such a boring person." Magnus sighed. "Why not?"

"I've never needed to. Why would I if I know it wouldn't work out?"

"Is there anyone you would go on one with?"

"Hmmm. One."

"Who?"

"Not telling."

"Why are you asking all these odd questions?" Tessa queried, grabbing her gun and looking again through the viewfinder. She squinted her left eye, her right one looking huge as she held the glass close to it. "It seems as almost you're trying tooo...oh crap. They are coming this way. I just saw Cecily's leather jacket through the thicket about a half mile off to the north."

Standing up, Jem sucked in a sharp breath when he saw a duo consisting of Gabriel and Cecily heading towards them. Thankfully, since they had a helpful hiding place, they weren't spotted yet, but it was only a matter of time until the shots started flying. "Get back. We should split up so we can cover more ground. Tessa you go west, I'll start heading east. Don't go too far and Magnus, shoot straight."

"Got it." Magnus grinned, his blindingly white teeth a huge contrast to his tanned skin and green-yellow eyes. "We got it this time, Jem. We will win."

**~~ooo~~**

Tessa started down the rocky hill, yelping quietly when she stumbled and stepped awkwardly on her ankle. Pressing her back against a tree, she peered around it, her gun held readily in her hands. A slight crack startled her, but it was just a noisy bird sifting through the leaves. Letting out a pent up sigh of relief as it flew away, she readied to shoot at any sign of movement.

Sure, she had used a gun in New York...once, but that had only been because her brother had dragged her to the local shooting range. She hadn't been that great, and yet she still knew that she was probably better than Will. In the midst of her thoughts, a shape darted behind her and picked her up. She thrashed, smacking her attacker with as much force as she could on their mouth.

"Damn, Tess." The voice said, coy and familiar.

"Will, oh god. You startled me."

"You _are_ on the other team. I'm not exactly supposed to be loud." He backed up, his arm still around her waist. Kicking her foot back, she swooped his leg underneath him, tripping Will. He fell to the ground but pulled Tessa with him, softening the blow as she braced herself against him. Picking up her gun, Tessa pressed it to his chest, her finger against the trigger.

"I wouldn't move if I were you."

"I wouldn't want to move if I were you as well. What girl can resist the hypnotic stare of my _extraordinary_ blue eyes?"

"If it comes to any surprise to you," Tessa said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I can."

"That's what you'd like to think, Tess, but unfortunately, the fact that I am devilishly handsome and devilish make me all the more irresistible." He flipped her over, pinning her down beneath him and smirking in satisfaction.

"This is cheating." Tessa accused as he pulled her gun from her grasp, tossing it a few feet away from her.

"So, what of it is?" Will laughed, leaning down and slanting his mouth across hers. Forgetting about rivalries, she sat up, her arms snaking over his shoulders. His hands rested on her waist at her hips, his thumb hooked in the belt loop of her jeans. Tessa smiled against his mouth, running her hands incessantly through his hair and smoothing his shirt in back.

"This is most definitely cheating." Tessa whispered as he kissed her throat, the tips of his fingers slipping slightly beneath the hem of her shirt.

"You're right. We probably shouldn't have sex on the floor right now because other people might be watching."

"Shut up, Will."

Will stared down at her, a smirk forming on his mouth when a shot rang through the air. Will fell back, grabbing his shoulder which was splattered in bright blue paint. Cursing in Welsh, he grabbed his gun, shooting wildly in the direction the shot had come from before running off into the woods. Magnus rose from the bushes, a smug expression on his face as he watched Will retreat.

"Tessa. Jem was looking for you. We're going to go back up onto the ridge. I hit Cecily in her shooting hand...as she hit my preferred one. Thankfully I'm somewhat ambidextrous. Jem can't walk. He got hit in the leg, but he killed Gabriel, so we have a good chance."

Blushing furiously as she picked up her gun and rose from the floor, she held it in front of her. "Let's get 'em."


	12. A Shot at Winning

"Tessa. Did you get shot?" Jem asked as she came in view. He was sitting down, a pink splatter on one of his legs. However, in the midst of the pink, there were spots of red, decorating the ground around him and swirling with the paint.

"Forget about me. Are you alright?" Tessa asked, hurrying over to him.

"I'm fine it's nothing an ira- some time won't heal." He smiled crookedly at her, his eyes glinting an amber color, reflecting off strange silvery flecks in his eyes. As he turned towards the rocky crags, he looked hauntingly beautiful; his pale skin and unusually colored eyes staring off intently into the distance. "I can see Cecily and Will. They're coming up fast and they took Gabriel's gun as well. Get ready Magnus."

"Got it." Magnus grinned, fixing his gun against his shoulder, his trigger happy finger quivering against the trigger. He shot, missing, but landing it dangerously close to Will's other shoulder. It sped past him, exploding into an orange mist as soon as it hit a rock near Will. Raising her gun, Cecily shot, hitting Magnus hard in his leg. "Well, damn. Now I can't walk. This sucks." Magnus said between gritted teeth, clutching his leg. He blinked away the pain, managing to secure his gun back in his hand.

Standing up, Tessa fired a round, hitting Will in his bad shoulder again. He gave a loud hiss of pain, digging his fingers into the paint stained fabric. Cecily aimed again, sending up a multitude of paint pellets. Magnus let out a yelp as one hit him in the chest. Doubling over in pain, Magnus was still, laying on his back as he fought for breath. "Crap. I'm dead. You guys go kill them."

Jem dragged himself over to the edge, propping himself up with his elbows, studying the two siblings with careful precision. Shooting carefully, he hit Will in the leg, earning a loud, very shameless rant of cursing to ring through the forest. Kneeling on the ground, Will just kept pressing his finger on the trigger, shooting paintball after paintball in their direction.

A sharp pain exploded in Tessa's shoulder as a paintball came into contact with her. Sucking in a sharp breath, she put her face in her hands. "Urrrhhhh. Ow. That really hurts."

"Are you okay?" Jem put his hand lightly on her good shoulder in a comforting gesture, his pupils dilated in worry.

"I'm okay." Lifting her gun, she shot a few times at Will, unsuccessfully killing him, but managed to slow him down. Jem shot once, hitting Will in the stomach. Picking up Will's gun, Cecily clutched both guns in one hand, her finger on both of the triggers.

"That girl has got serious skill." Magnus remarked, eyeing Cecily. Clicking the trigger, Cecily fired, the paint balls flying above Jem and Tessa's heads. As Tessa raised her head, it seemed as if time had slowed down, Jem hauling himself in front of her.

"Get down." He said as he tensed. He sucked in air between his teeth as two paintballs hit him in the middle of his back, rendering him dead. Handing Tessa his gun, he grinned sheepishly. "Just shoot and make sure it hits."

"James! You're our best shot at winning...That was an unintended pun. But you just sacrificed your life for me, and I'm not that good of a shot!" Tessa said, holding both the paint guns in her hand.

"Just do what Will does." Magnus said, covering his eyes from the glaring sun. "Just keep clickin' until it won't click anymore. Cecily hates that but it takes her down every time."

Taking an audible gulp, Tessa pulled her finger on the trigger again and again, aiming into the region that she last saw Cecily. Flipping back her black hair, Cecily looked hardcore and frightening as she shot, though her aim became more and more unsteady. Tessa narrowed her eyes, looking at the viewfinder carefully before pressing the trigger.

A loud bang split through the air and blue blossomed on Cecily's chest. The girl swore in Welsh like Will had done, raising her hands in surrender."Okay! You aren't dead now. Good game. Damn, it hurts."

Jem stood up wearily, trying to hide the obvious limp in his gait as they both climbed down. His expression was triumphant, the corners of his mouth curling up. "And this is what happens when Will is not on your team."

Tessa laughed. "Is there anything notable about him besides his love for literature?"

Thinking for a moment, Jem nodded slowly. "Tennis. He's good at tennis."

"...He is?" Tessa said incredulously.

"Well, he beats me every time at tennis on the Wii."

"You've only won once." Will said as Tessa and Jem made it to the ground, his clothes covered in paint. "In fact, I'm so good at it that I beat Jem by so much that by the end of our gaming session, he feels the need to go into his room and cry. I can't help that I'm the best."

"You wish. That's only because you made me into...one of those people things-"

"They're called Mii's."

Jem gave him a puzzled look. "The Mii things and plays against me when I'm not there. He just sets up the Wii CONSOL and puts the second player remote on the table while he does his little game of tennis."

"Do you have to spoil the fun, James?"

"Well, if you were honest about all of your little endeavors, I wouldn't have to spoil it."

"Endeavors?" Will said questioningly in mock confusion and innocence. "Which endeavors?"

"You know exactly like...What happened to Gabriel?" Jem said, widening his eyes as he winced inwardly.

Will gave them both an enormous grin, raising his hand to cover the snickering that he tried so hard to suppress. "That Lightworm was getting on my nerves...hahaha. You won't believe what I did to him."

"What?" Jem said disapprovingly, his smile slipping.

"Lets just say that if he ends of having to take a piss, he's going to realize that something in particular has turned purple due to a close up paint gun and a murderous older brother, not that I had anything to do with it, perhaps."


	13. You're Sweet-ish

Will flipped off the guy across the room, giving him an angry scowl. "I don't know who told you that or what crap they are up to, but that sure as hell isn't true. Go screw yourself!"

"Screw you!" Gabriel called back. "Or screw him." Pointing at the slim, rangy boy beside Will, Gabriel smirked at Will's angered expression. "You wouldn't think that no one would know about your secret boyfriend, 'cause then you'd be stupid. Oh wait, you are."

"He's not my boyfriend. Hell, I'm not even gay-"

"But sometimes I wish you were." Magnus shrugged, walking to join Will and Jem. "What? I've already told you that you are sort of cute." Will gave him a deadpanned stare. "So, having fun pissing off Gabriel and making an utter fool of yourself...in front of everyone in the entire cafeteria." He gave Will a nudge. "Especially in front of the new girl. She's kinda cute."

"Gabriel can go piss himself..." Will gave Magnus a confused look. "I thought you were gay, I mean. Woolsey?"

"I'm bi. There's a difference."

Taking advantage of Will's distracted conversation, Gabriel took the time to chuck a half carton of milk at Will's head. Jem, who was standing right beside him, grabbed it expertly in one hand and flicked it back at lighting speed towards Gabriel. It hit him in the face, milk exploding everywhere. Taking in a startled and horrified gasp, Jem held his hand to his mouth. "I swear, I did not mean to do that. It just happened."

"Good thing you did." Will grumbled, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "Piss off, Gabriel!"

"I still think he's your boyfriend." Gabriel sneered, though his hair dripped with milk.

"It's called being fu-" Will yelped as Jem elbowed him in the ribs, nodding his head at a teacher that had just entered the room "Frickin' platonic friends."

"You have friends?" Gabriel opened his mouth in mock surprise. "That's a first. You know, for the first time, I actually feel bad for Jem. He's permanently stuck with you, especially since the whole school thinks you two are hooking up."

"Dude," Magnus said, holding his hands up. "Trust me. He's not gay or bi. I have my little date detector, and he's not on it. Now, before I tell Will that _you _are hooking up with his sister, I would advise that you run. It won't be pretty." Magnus let out an inward laugh at Will's insatiable anger that shot daggers at Gabriel.

"Wooh, Gabe." Gideon, Gabriel's brother, called. "Shit just got real."

"Oh, you bag of shit. You and my sister are not hooking the hell up." Will snarled, his blue eyes turning icy and murderous. He sauntered up into Gabriel's face, his scowl deepening. "What did you do to Cecy? Huh? You screwed her up, didn't you?"

"We are not together."

"Stay the hell away from my sister." Will hissed before stalking back to Jem. "You see that bastard with Cecy, you punch him in the face for me. Got it?"

Jem frowned. "What? No! I'm not going to punch Cecily's boyfriend."

"Are you sure you aren't dating?" Magnus asked Will and Jem, raising a glittering eyebrow. Throwing up his hands in resignation, Magnus let out an amused huff. "It would be kind of hot, don't you think?" Grabbing Magnus by his backpack, Will dragged him out of the room, mumbling something angrily under his breath. Looking around, Jem caught his eye with the new girl, his face instantly growing hot. She gave Will a curious look and then glanced back at Jem.

"What's with it with him?" She asked as he passed her. Jem stopped in his tracks, turning to look at her with widened eyes. "Is he like the school rebel or something?"

"This is practically a school for rebels." Jem smiled crookedly, shrugging. "He's always been like that since I can remember."

"Why are you here then?"

"Forced to by Will. He's very...needy."

"Are you guys...like actually together?"

He laughed breathily. "No. We're best friends. We have been since we were 12, which is not actually a long time, but for us, it's been long and, um, we just grew on each other like brothers and went to school and then, dear god. I'm rambling, aren't I?" A hand on Jem's shoulder startled him. Spinning around to see who it was, Jem sighed when he realized it was just Will.

"Ignore him. He rambles whenever he meets a pretty girl. It's the only time you can get him to talk for a long time, though." Will grinned mischievously, his enraged and glinting eyes lightening to a sky blue. Jem let out a choking sound of embarrassment. Pushing his hair back and giving her a coy grin, Will held out his hand. "Will Herondale. And you are..."

"Tessa." She said, taking his hand hesitantly. "Tessa Gray."

"Well, Miss Gray, tell me you weren't listening to the previous conversation between me and the Lightworm." Will smirked, pressing his lips softly on the top of her hand, his stare never leaving hers. "I wouldn't want to expose my good side too quickly."

"He treats every girl he crushes on like this." Jem interjected, nudging Will lightly on his shoulder. "Don't get too excited. There's only two girls he hasn't dated in the whole school: Cecily and you. I wouldn't if I were you. It always ends up the same way- a broken heart and bedframe."

"That would be disgusting if I dated Cecily! That would be incest." Will sputtered, horrified. He dropped Tessa's hand, crossing his arms.

"Friends with benefits." Gabriel whispered loudly towards them as he walked passed.

"If you mean by friends with benefits, Gabriel Lightworm, that I can annoy Will and not get punched in the face, then you are correct." Jem said, his temper rising. "Can you just leave for once?" Catching himself, he took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes.

"Good god, James. I think this is the most you've spoken in public in one day. I didn't know Gabriel got under your skin." Raising an eyebrow, Will nudged him back.

"I don't have an anger problem like you do, but I am only human."

"Hahaha. Very funny, Jem. No you're not. Not really."

Tessa gave them both a strange look. "You both are quite weird."

"I know," Jem said at the same time Will said, "thank you." Jem gave her a shy grin, his mouth curling up sheepishly in the corners. On the other hand, Will smirked...again. Pushing herself up from the table, Tessa gave them a polite smile.

"Well, um, thanks for the chat, but I should go." Tessa pulled her backpack on, walking away with grace and charm that not even Jessamine had mastered. Her dark curls bounced behind her as she glanced behind, her gray eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"Bah-boom!" Will said, self satisfied. "And that is why all the girls love me. She is a keeper!"

"You said that about the last five girls." Jem groaned inwardly, remembering the train wreck of dates Will had managed to create. "You hardly know her! That girl, what's her name...Jessamine? Was it? She nearly murdered you with her umbrella when she found out you were seeing Hyacinth."

"But, she is hot." Will pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone. "And so am I. It's a match made in heaven."


	14. Train for Two

Delving into the underground tunnels, Jem and Cecily were thankful for night vision runes when it came to exploring the dark and dingy caves. Even so, Jem had a witchlight in his hand, pale white light filtering from between his fingers. Their footsteps were louder than they liked, echoing down the abandoned tunnel and reverberating off the slick stone walls. Bracing herself on the ledge, Cecily jumped off the train platform, landing between the tracks. Jem followed her, silvery lines in his irises reflecting light like a cat's.

Cecily sidestepped, hitting her foot against the track. She gave a short, choked shriek as she tumbled backwards, hitting into Jem. Kneeling on the ground, she inspected her leg, which was singed but not too badly burned. "Careful." She whispered, brushing dirt and burn particles of clothing off her pant leg. "The tracks might now be in use anymore, but they are still electrified."

"I figured that." Jem murmured, studying the tracks. There were small dead rodents along the side of the train tracks, their fur singed and their flesh rotting and black. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Animals have been down here making it their home. Obviously, they made the same problem you did...with a much worse outcome. Do you need an iratze?"

"No." Cecily said, standing back up to her feet. She drew a short seraph blade from her weapons belt, inking in a rune to the glassy blade. It erupted with light, shining like a broken chandelier as the shards of fire danced on the walls.

Something moved behind them, casting a dark shadow in the midst of the gleam from the witchlight and seraph blade. Cecily whirled around, her breathing started to shallow and quicken. Her eyes were wide and frenzied, her pupils contracted to a pinprick of black. Instantly, they got back to back as they had learned in their training, each facing opposite directions.

"Can you see anything?" Jem breathed, realizing that his heart was pounding just as hard as hers. He felt her hair brush against his neck as she shook her head, her knuckles whitening as she gripped the seraph blade harder. Their night vision runes were starting to fade, dimming and dimming their vision. To be safe, Jem slipped his witchlight back into his pocket and instead pulled a dagger from his belt.

A long, yellow barbed tail lashed out at them, knocking the seraph blade from Cecily's hands. She fell to her knee's feeling around for the blade. Two scarlet eyes stared at them, cutting like lasers through the darkness. When Jem looked back at Cecily, her features had changed, her mouth set in a grim line and her eyes narrowed with anger. Lasing forwards, Cecily swung her seraph blade down, but hit the air where Marbas had been just a second earlier.

A movement at the tunnel startled them, disappearing around a bend. Cecily ran forward blinding, grunting in pain every time she accidentally hit the electrified track. Jem ran behind her, careful to step in the middle of the railroads as they pursued the demon. Letting out a short shout of surprise and frustration as Cecily ran into a dead end, she kicked the wall with brute forced. Seeing that the rock was much harder than her fabric and cork wedges, Cecily grabbed her foot, hopping around on her other leg.

"Damn it. Crap." Cecily hissed as she bounced around, her hair starting to loosen from it's messy ponytail. "We lost him. We just had him and now he's gone...again. Crap."

"Wait." Jem said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Can you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

A layer of fine dust rained down on them, settling on their hair and clothing. Holding her hand out, Cecily felt small rocks land in her hand as they fell from the ceiling. Jem spun his dagger in his hand, his eyes flitting upwards. "Wait a moment..." Snapping his dagger upwards, there was a loud, gravely roar.

Something fell from the ceiling, hitting into Cecily and Jem as it scrambled to get up. It's reptilian snout snapped at them before disappearing into thin air, leaving behind a half eaten away dagger that was soaked in ichor.

"No. No..." Cecily ran over to where it had vanished, looking around. "No...no. No. I need him dead..!"

"Cecily," Jem said softly, walking up by her side. "I'm really sorry-"

"No. You don't understand. Marbas ruined my brothers life and I let him slip away again." Cecily shook, her voice raising to a shout. "Marbas is gone. It's going to take ages until we can find him again. You don't understand how important this is."

"I do understand. I am his parabatai. He is as just much importance to me as he is to you."

"Will left us, our family because he thought it would protect us, and now I can't help him or pay him back."

"We will keep trying, okay?" Jem sighed, sitting down at the edge of the train platform. Cecily slumped down beside him, her eyes dark and bleary with rage towards Marbas, towards the darkness, and towards herself. When she moved into the dim, flickering light of the wall lamp, Jem could see burns on the sides of her jeans, her hair disheveled and dust ridden. Cecily looked more run down than usual, her usual peppy attitude fading every day that went by that they didn't catch Marbas. Pulling her knees to her chest, she buried her face in her hands.

"He's gone again."

"Then I'll help you find him again." Jem said encouragingly. "But we just need to keep trying, okay?"

Cecily hesitated but nodded her head slightly. "Okay."

Leaning her head on Jem's shoulder, she wiped away angry tears as they fell quietly down her face, creating wet splotches in her jacket cuffs. Breaking the silence, Cecily muttered something under her breath about knowing that she should have worn her new waterproof makeup. Jem just smiled softly and waited beside her.


	15. Silver

"What happened between you and Sophie? She seems to really hate you." Tessa said, crossing her legs on Will's bed. She picked up another book, flipping through it with mild interest as she waited for Will to respond.

"Oh, her? She likes to think that I'm too good for her. Pretending to hate me has frazzled her brain. It's quite messy business that we shan't go into." Will remarked smugly, tossing another faded novel onto the bed. "Why do you ask?"

"Pretending? I don't think she does." Tessa mumbled tiredly, falling back and holding the book to her chest. She turned over, her brown hair splaying out over his pillow. "I just...was wondering."

"About what?"

"Just curious." Tessa murmured, frowning slightly. Will looked up at her, the lightness in his facial expression slipping.

"What is it?"

Shaking her head, Tessa faked a small smile. "And you're the one saying I ask too many questions."

"I'm serious, Tess."

"Well, can I say something crazy? All my life has been a series of doors in my face and-"

Will made a disgruntled noise and put his hand on his forehead with exasperation. "We are _not _going to be reminded of that god awful movie. What kind of whatever-year-old girl has ice powers? Seriously, though, something's bugging you and you know that though you can be commended by your stubbornness, I still surpass you by far in so many things. I'm not letting up until you explain what is going on."

Heaving a sigh, Tessa shrugged, sitting back up. "You know that feeling when something is new, it's exciting and you're eager for anything and everything? Moving here was like that. I had new friends and there were new experiences, but everything is just so sudden. You see what I mean?"

"No...But continue."

"God, do you ever listen to yourself?"

"Every night before I go to sleep. It's relaxing."

"There it is again!" Tessa said, snapping the book closed and pushing herself to stand. She glared at him for a moment before speaking again, her voice lowering to a whisper. "My whole life has been uprooted and changed because of something stupid my brother did. I'm just looking for a constant to finally settle down and find where my life is but it's just so hard. Everything here is foreign and new...it's been difficult. And I'm sure you're thinking of something hurtful or find amusing to say, but I'm just a little bit fed up with all this. Whatever it is."

Will got to his feet, staring at her. "Tessa. That's not what-"

"Look at yourself, Will. You're always poking fun in the most inconvenient of times because its the only crutch you have. Are you ever genuine, or sincere about anything?"

"You." Will said quietly. "I've always been genuine about you."

"Spare it, Will. I don't want to become another one of those girls that is gone as soon as she gets to you. I don't want the drama or the little quirks and turns." Grabbing her book, Tessa started heading towards the door, moving to push past him.

"Tessa." Will said, grabbing her wrist. She turned around, her grey eyes dark with hurt.

"What? What do you want, William?"

"I know I'm a jerk sometimes-"

"Yeah." Tessa nodded her face scrunching up as she looked at Will. "You kind of are all the time."

"But you're different than all the rest, Tessa. You're smart, unlike Jessamine, you're pretty, unlike Bridget, and you're America...unlike everyone at school. Your accent does drive me crazy though." Will said, earning a small laugh from Tessa.

"I'm American? That's why you like me?" Tessa said incredulously before smiling crookedly. Sliding his hand onto her waist and resting above her hips, Will shrugged.

"Americans _are_ pretty cute when they get the pronunciation of everything they say wrong."

"Shut up." Tessa teased lightly.

"Gladly." Will said breathily, scooting Tessa against the wall. He leaned forward, grazing his mouth against hers. Running his thumb softly over her hipbone with one hand, and pinning her wrist against the wall with the other, he grinned slightly when she made a face.

"You're definitely a cheater." She said as he went to kiss her again, landing small light brushes at the edges of her mouth. She tilted her head up, letting out a surprised gasp as he edged the bottom of her shirt up and slid his mouth from her lips to the sensitive skin of her throat. Releasing her wrist, Will slid his hand between them, caressing gently the slope of her stomach which shuddered deliciously under his touch. Her eyes fluttered closed, her hands arching across his back. "Will."

"Hmm?"

She pulled away slightly, her gray eyes covered in a frame of shadows and lashes. "There's someone at the door."

"Oh." Will muttered, peeling himself from her. Walking to the door as Tessa viciously yanked down her top, Will cracked his door open. Cecily was there, her eyes rimmed with red and her clothing torn. Giving a small cry, Cecily's eyes welled with tears, spilling over onto her cheeks.

"I didn't mean to, Will. I didn't mean to." She shook, sobs racking her body.

"Cecy? What did you do?" Will asked, his voice low with intensity.

"I was upset and he tried to calm be down and I couldn't." Cecily put her hand to her face, wiping her eyes and smearing mascara and eyeliner under them. Her nails dug into the side of her face, creating small crescent mark indents. "I ran and I ran and he followed me because he was scared I would get hurt."

"Cecily. What in the Angel's name is going on?"

Cecily turned around, pointing at a staggering shape behind her. It was Jem, his eyes pressed closed and the bottom half of his mouth covered in blood. Clawing at the wall for balance, he turned and looked towards Will, his eyes snapping open and instantly, Will shared Cecily's horror.

One of Jem's eyes had gone completely silver.


	16. Do it for Me

Darting back, Will grabbed Tessa by the shoulders, his voice cracking. "Tessa. You need to leave. Please, just leave."

"Will. What happened?" Tessa asked, glancing at Jem.

"Tessa. Please, please, please just go. Just get out here. You don't understand." Will pleaded, his blue eyes crazed with horror, confusion and fear, cutting away at Tessa as if she were an animal waiting to be butchered.

"Don't just send me away like that. Jem isn't well. Let me help. What can I do?"

"You can leave. Please. Tessa, if you trust me, you have to leave." Will said hoarsely. Giving Will a soft, sad look, she slipped out the room, shutting the front door softly behind her. Will snapped back around, hurrying to Jem and speaking to him quickly in his ear. Jem shook his head before coughing, his shoulders heaving as more blood splattered the wall beside him. He wiped his mouth with his hand, smearing red over his fingertips.

"Is he going to be alright?" Cecily asked, biting her lip to stop frightened tears.

"He'll be fine." Will snapped before softening, looking over at his sister. "Cecy, I need you to do something for me."

"What?"

"I need you to go to Whitechapel and the Downworlder Markets. I know it's dangerous and I can't go with you, but just bring money and go find it. The Devil's Tavern should have some...By the Angel, bring Gabriel. He might finally be of some use." Will muttered, helping Jem cross to his room. Cecily nodded feverishly, grabbing her weapons belt and stele and running out the door. Swinging the room to Jem's door open, Jem clutched at Will's arm, struggling to stay on his feet and remain conscious.

Refusing adamantly and stubbornly to lie down, he sat down in a chair, his elbows rested on his knees and his hands at the side of his temples as he fought to stop coughing with little avail. Kneeling by his side, Will put his hand over Jem's, tightening it over his as though it would help cure him.

Cecily had been fast, snatching Gabriel from his studies and pulling him into the depths of the Downworlder area. Though the warlock that currently owned the place insisted on driving a harder bargain, Cecily's fear sharpened her tongue and they were on their way back almost as soon as they arrived their, but with the Yin Fen in a small, safely wrapped package. Discovering that picking locks were easier than having to find keys and use them, Cecily slid a bobby pin from her hair, wiggling them into the lock and skewing the tumblers. It jarred open with a satisfying click, light filtering into the shadowed house.

"Lightworm, get a glass of water." Will barked from the other room, his voice muffled by the half closed door. "Cecily, bring it to me."

Gabriel opened his mouth to protest, but when he saw the blood splattered across the wall, he knew the circumstances were dire. Cecily hurried to the room, shoving the precious parcel into Will's hand and giving him a small dagger to rip through the heavy packaging.

Will's hands were shaking when he grabbed the dagger, digging the sharp point and ripping through layers of wrap until he saw a silvery shine. Reaching in, he drew it from the wrap, his stomach furling into a tight, sick ball as he stared at the poisonous drug. As soon as Gabriel arrived with the water, Will snatched it from his hand, carelessly sloshing some of it onto the floor.

Pulling Gabriel out of the room, Cecily shut the door, leaving Will and Jem in the room by themselves. Trying to still the quiver in his grasp as he poured a small amount of powder into the glass, he shook Jem. "James. I have it."

Looking up slowly at Will, Jem let out a ragged gasp. "No. No...I don't want it."

"James. You. Have. To. Take. It." Will said, trying to shove it into Jem's hand. "You have to drink or else-"

"Or else what? I'll die? I came to peace with that five years ago." Jem whispered. "You don't understand the pain of staying alive, Will. I'm supposed to be dead already. I will not let myself be dragged down again like some addict."

"Listen. We all thought that we finally found the cure. Taking something that prolongs your life, that you need to live, is not low. Your life is on the line."

"Then hang it." Jem hissed, the brown in his eyes fading by the second. "I would rather die than commit myself to surviving on a mere drug that people take for the mere pleasure of it. I'm sick of the glances. I'm sick of the pain. I'm just sick of being sick."

"Jem. You know that I will force you to take it if it comes to that. I swear, I will shove it down your throat and close your mouth until you swallow because I am not letting you throw your life away...Not how I almost did to mine. You saved me then, so I need to help you now."

"Damn it, Will. Can't you just look at someone other than yourself?" Jem said quietly and angrily. "Can't you see that it hurts? That it causes me pain. What here do I have to live for? Why can't you just let me go?"

"You can't possibly mean that, Jem."

"I do. I do mean it."

"I'm your parabatai. Take it for me. Please. Just a little bit longer." Will said, giving the cup to Jem. He stared down at it, the all-too-recent memories of blood, numbness, pain, and darkness washing over him. Looking at Will in resignation, he raised the glass to his lips and downed the silvery solution. He dropped the glass suddenly, clawing at his chest as the glass shattered across the floor.

"I don't remember. I forgot what it felt like to take it. It's different this time, Will."

"But you took it. You're going to be alright."

"For you, I will hold on a little longer." Jem murmured, his voice thin and weary. "For you, I will try to live."

**Author's Note: Thanks for the review, bookowls! Don't worry, since I am a Jessa fan, there will be Jessa later. :) I just wanted to cater a little something to Wessa fans as well since I hardly have anything insinuating his ship as well.**


	17. To Cecily's Horror

"Hi. Cecily, are Jem and Will here? They didn't come to school today and I just wanted to make sure they were okay before we go to wherever your taking me." Tessa said, leaning on the doorframe. Cecily gave her a pained smile, nodding slightly.

"Yeah. They're home. Do you want to come in?"

"Sure. I just want to make sure nothings the matter." Tessa said, walking inside the house and making a b-line to Jem's room. She pushed the door open slightly, peering inside. Jem was sitting casually on his bed, listening to Will, who was seated in a chair, as he rattled on about something that consisted of a worm and a light. Tessa winced as the door creaked loudly, shattering the eerie muffled silence that ran through the house.

"Cecily. I told you that if you come into the room one more time with that infernal perfume you have on, I'm going to- oh..." Will glanced at the open door, breaking off mid sentence. He cleared his throat, blinking in surprise. "Tessa. I didn't expect to see you here after...yesterday."

"I was talking to Sophie today and she said that the violinists were awful without their section leader." Tessa said, making her way slowly into the room. "So...Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"No." Will said immediately, his body bristling and tense as Tessa came closer.

"You're hiding so many things and you can't just tell me what's wrong?"

"Will." Jem said quietly, exchanging a hidden wink. "Just tell her."

Will, the awful liar that he is, fidgeted, and looked over at Jem, not knowing what to say. "Erm...Lye."

"What?" Jem and Tessa both said, equally surprised for different reasons. Jem sputtered, giving Will a puzzled look. "That's like saying, 'oh, Jem just tried to jump off a cliff and kill himself but failed.' You just...said it as if it were so casual. "

"I don't know. You could have also been eating soap because lye is laced inside of it. Or broken glass if you were really stupid. That would explain the blood." Will remarked, giving a cautious glare towards Jem as he spoke.

"Jem!" Tessa said, her eyes widening. "Why did you drink lye?"

"I know," Will shrugged, a slight sneer quirking in his tone. "It doesn't taste that good anyway."

"I didn't drink lye. It was...a chemical leak." Jem said at last, holding his hands up in resignation.

"Well, are you going to be alright?" Tessa asked.

"Quite fine...quite fine." Jem murmured, plucking fuzz from the comforter that was splayed across his bed. He glanced over at Tessa, giving her a long, measured look, his hands twitching slightly as he yearned for his violin. He always yearned for his violin. Recognizing Tessa's bewilderment as she stared at his eyes, she narrowed her own, biting at her bottom lip in annoyance towards her relentless curiosity.

"Jem, your left eye is all silver and your right one is brown, but laced with silver...is that normal?"

"Heterochromia." Cringing at the harshness of his tone, Jem tried to keep his voice from showing its false words. "Some people develop it later in life. Some are born with it, some get it if they are ill, and some diseases carry the Heterochromia side effect. Don't worry, it's completely normal. You have gray eyes as well, don't you?" Jem said, raising an eyebrow.

"My eyes are gray. Yours are silver...mine have never been that bright." Tessa breathed. Leaning his head back onto the headboard of his bed, Jem ran a hand through his hair, pushing it behind his ear. Tessa could have sworn she saw silver streaks in it, but the room was bright with blinding sunlight and she couldn't tell. A hand laid on her shoulder, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Tessa. Are you ready to go?" Cecily asked, peering over Tessa's shoulder. Turning around, Tessa nodded slightly. Glancing back into the room one last time, Tessa went out to follow Cecily.

**~~ooo~~**

"No. I insist I drive." Cecily said, slipping into the drivers seat. Tessa gaped at her.

"That's illegal. I've had my drivers license for almost a year and you got yours a month ago."

"Tessa. The one thing you need to know is that, on private property, you're allowed to drive whatever you want and my parents sure do have a lot of space. I've been driving since I was thirteen. Maybe I wasn't cruising on the streets, but I bet I've had way more driving practice than you have." Cecily said, balancing her keys between her teeth as she slammed the door shut. Tessa sighed, slipping into the passenger side of the car.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Tessa asked, turning the air conditioning up and fanning herself. "And how are you still wearing a jacket? It's hot."

"Oh, I just never take my jackets off." Cecily said, pulling the cuff of her leather jacket down. "It's crazy how its hot today. Normally London is cool and foggy but I guess it just decided to let the rays through, giving us all tans."

"Cecily. Where are we going?"

"Okay, okay, okay! I'm getting there..." Cecily grinned, staring out onto the road ahead of her. "And, with all the bad stuff goin' on, I needed a small break to do some very special shopping, but it has to be with a girl."

"And...Get to the point, what is it?" Tessa inquired, staring at Cecily's glittering expression.

"So, since our school is totally stupid, we have it in the middle of the year instead of the beginning...and it's in two weeks. However, it is a big thing for us than other schools since we don't have the Sadie Hawkins Dance."

"What are you talking about Cecily? You're killing me here."

"Gabriel asked me to the homecoming dance!" Cecily squealed. Tessa gave her a confused expression.

"Err...that's great?"

"Oh my gosh. Don't say it...don't say it!"

"What's the homecoming dance? I've never heard of that before."

Cecily glanced at her in horror, her mouth hanging open. "Tessa, Tessa. It is the dance before PROM! By the Angel, I need to get you caught up in the fun things in school. You're new and have two guys set on your heart. You will get asked and if you don't know what they're talking about, you will break both of their hearts."


	18. The Real You

"Yeah, no. I still don't understand what this homecoming dance is for." Tessa said, crossing her legs as she leaned her head against the wall of Windsor. Cecily let out an impatient groan, fumbling through the masses and layers of dresses in the store. Walking into the mall had been like a fashion punch in the face when Tessa realized just how absurdly out of the trend she was. Sure, she wore the all important skinny jeans and cute tank tops with assorted amounts of cardigans, but she never knew how many new clothing items had come out.

Instead of wearing shiny combat boots, Tessa was used to sticking with converse. Apparently, according to the ads, she shouldn't ever wear navy with black and all her low cut jeans should be traded in for high cut mini skirts. Even dresses had a particular style: almost all the dresses Cecily had pulled had been mini...minnow...mullet dresses, cut short in front and low in back. Now Cecily was sifting through a pile of mini dresses that had less fabric on them than the fabric that covered Tessa's shoe.

"This one?" Cecily held a black mini dress up that had hot pink studs running up the sides.

"Err. Unless you want to make him bleed to death, I wouldn't." Tessa said, cringing inwardly at how sharp the points of the studs seemed to be. Though Cecily was quite petite for a newly turned sixteen-year-old, the heels she wore made her almost as tall as Tessa, looking fierce and intimidating without having to wear pink studs.

"What about this one?" Cecily asked, holding up a very short, very promiscuous dress with a ribbed back and ice blue rimmed slits on the skirt.

"Umm, I doubt you should wear that."

"I'm just kidding." Cecily laughed, tossing the dress back into the pile. "I would never wear ice blue with sky blue earrings."

"Ohhhh...I thought you were talking about the overall inappropriateness of the dress."

"It's not that short, but I want something funky...you know, not like everyone else."

Tessa sighed. "I know what you mean."

"Aha!" Cecily announced, pulling out a fluffy dress. "I love this! I'm going to try this on, you just stay in here while I get ready to model it." Darting to the fitting rooms, Cecily let out a squeak of happiness as she barreled into a room and started changing.

When she came out, the dress itself was way to over the top for Tessa's liking, but it fit Cecily quite well. It was a fitted strapless dress that flared out at the waist, tulle bunching underneath the skirt. It was a patterned tie-dye that bunched and swirled into patterns along the sides and ruffles. Tessa gulped. "It's...It's...It's groovy. Yeah, I think you're the only person in the world that can pull it off as well as you do."

"I only go for the bright pinks and blues and everything else that is bright and neon." Cecily said happily, glancing down at her techno colored leather jacket which was hanging on the dresser room hook. "What do you think? Converse wedges to top it off?"

At the mention of converse, Tessa raising an eyebrow. "Yeah. Go for that. See how it works."

"Great! Come on, we have one more stop."

**~~ooo~~**

With her Windsor dress folded safely in a bag, Cecily dragged Tessa across the mall, walking into a dark, gothic shop. The music was awful, in Tessa's opinion, blaring and sounding vaguely of tires screeching as the cashiers turned up the volume, increasing the reverb. She looked around, running her hand lightly over the black, ripped clothing. "What is this place?"

"It's like the Camden Market in a nutshell. Personal business that some people made." Cecily said, pulling a bottle of something off the shelf. She turned to Tessa, smiling slightly. "I'm more contemporary than you think. I'm not just that girl who wears ruffles and shorts and nice dresses. I do have a bit of tomboy in me, Tessa."

"Really? I didn't think that side came out anywhere besides paintball." Tessa said, peering over her shoulder and staring at the bottle. "What is that?"

"Bleach."

"They sell cleaning products for your house here?"

"No, silly." Cecily laughed. "It's for your hair. I'm going to bleach my hair and dye it. You're so funny."

"Trust me, I was a sheltered child. I was tutored in my Aunts house for more than half of my life and she hardly ever had anyone over." Tessa shrugged, poking at a suspicious looking pair of spiked ear buds. Cecily made her way over to the cashier register, offering the guy cashing up her stuff a cute smile before grabbing Tessa and pulling her back out into the swarm of people in the mall. Tessa glanced at the bags in Cecily's hand and back to her content expression. "Hey, I think you're going to look great. Why don't you dress your style everyday? You seem like you have a lot more than what your outfit says on the outside."

"Oh, the usual." Cecily sighed, frowning. "After switching here, its hard getting used to such a mundane life. I just want to fit in, you know, and not be that weird, funky girl on the block."

"But funky on you is great!"

"I want to blend. I'm sick of hiding in my life and fighting and all the oh my gosh, we have to go." Cecily muttered, raising her fingers to her mouth.

"All of what?" Tessa inquired, a rage of curiosity pounding at her thoughts.

"Never mind. It's...personal. I shouldn't have said anything." Cecily said hurriedly, her footsteps quickening. Her blue eyes shimmered with regret and fear for a moment before fading into a stiff mask of fake excitement. "Come on. Will asked me to bring you home at around 4:00 and it's already 3:47. Hurry up! He's going to be mad if we're late."

"Well, if he didn't tell me in advance, it can't be that important, can it?"

"It would be quite a big deal if you missed it or if we were late, Tessa. After all, it is your _own _birthday party."


	19. Literature and Lingerie

"We know it's small but...Surprise!" Cecily uncovered Tessa's eyes. Adjusting her eyes to the blinding light in their dining room, Tessa blinked open her eyes and stared in front of her. There was a cake- no chocolate of course- with 'Happy 17th Birthday' written across it in strawberry frosting. The rest was black and white; this strips of black fondant running along the sides and a small black rose gathered by the words. Thin, white piping lines circles the circumference of the cake, framing the words which were obscured by lit candles.

At the other end of the table, there was a small stack of presents, one which was stuffed into a bag. It was obvious that someone had tried to fix it, but had deemed the tissue paper far too battered for saving. Tessa had not trouble figuring out who it was from even though she didn't look at the name tag.

"I made the cake." Will said finally, breaking the silence. Tessa wrinkled her nose and laughed.

"You did not. If you did, it wouldn't look this nice and it would probably be decorated with curse words written out in the frosting." Tessa joked, grinning at him. "But really guys, thanks."

Jem was sitting down, smiling softly at her, but he looked better; his cheeks were flushed with a light red and his back was straight and he looked not nearly as sick as the day before. "It's definitely not as grand as Cecily would have made it, but we hoped you liked it."

"I love it. I was expecting to get nothing so this is great."

Will snorted. "Who expects to get nothing on their _birthday_?"

"Okay!" Cecily said impatiently, tapping the table. "Let her enjoy herself. Unfortunately for you, Tessa, Will threatened to kill us all with dull kitchen butter knives if we made him sing Happy Birthday, so you don't get to be serenaded today."

"I do not sing anything!" Will held up his hands before smirking slyly. "Except for...the demon pox song."

"Oh, by the Angel, please don't sing that." Jem groaned.

"The what?" Tessa asked, suddenly interested.

"Nothing." Cecily said. "Will just made up a stupid song while looking up demons in religious stuff for history class one time. Ignore him."

"_Pen-blwydd hapus cariad_." Will said, looking amusedly at Tessa's puzzled expression.

"That was...happy birthday in Welsh?" Tessa inquired, raising an eyebrow. "That sounded Welsh."

"_Saengil chukha hamnida._" Jem said after the table had quieted down.

Tessa tilted her head to the side. "I'm guessing that was Mandarin..."

"Tessa, you racist American." Will said with mock annoyance. "I know Jem is Mandarin...partly, sort of? But that doesn't mean everything he says is in Mandarin. That was obviously Korean."

"Well, I'm sorry I'm American." Tessa said, laughing breathily.

"Blow out the candles, Tessa!" Cecily said, clapping her hands together. In her newly changed outfit, she looked older; a pair of low rise baggy jeans tucked into a pair of combat boots with a tight long sleeved shirt that had strategically placed rips in back. _Have I ever seen Cecily without a jacket or long sleeve shirt? _Tessa thought, momentarily dazed. _In fact, I don't think I've ever seen Jem or Will without jackets or long sleeves either...how peculiar. _Pulling herself from her thoughts, she grabbed a chair, settling into it and blowing out the candles.

"You should open mine last," Will said, pointing at the one in the bag. "Jem messed it up."

"No, I did not." Jem protested. "I tried to fix it because you just threw it inside the bag. It looks like you put it in the sink garbage disposal before taking it out and sticking glue on it. It is most definitely not my fault that it looks absolutely awful."

"You should open mine first." Cecily said, grinning. Jem had stayed quiet as he didn't really have an opinion, but fidgeted with his fingers nervously.

"Okay. I'll open Cecily's, and then Jem's, and then...that thing." Tessa said, gesturing towards Will's dilapidated present. Giving Tessa her gift, Cecily waited eagerly for Tessa to open it, her eyes filling with mirth and mischievousness.

Will leaned over to Cecily, grimacing. "Did you actually do it?"

Cecily nodded, biting her lip as she fought to control her laughter. "I did it to Sophie when I found out she was seeing Gideon...sooo, I might have done it to Tessa as well."

"We aren't together."

"Ahh, but you've done too much making out and gone on too many dates. It's set in stone in my opinion. Plus, I already did it."

"Did what?" Tessa asked as she overheard their conversation. Discarding the wrapping paper next to her, Tessa edged the box open, peering inside. Though all she could see was the edge of a lace garment, a plastic square, and a makeup kit. Snapping it back closed, Tessa looked at Cecily in utter horror. "Cecily! What the heck did you put into my box? I knew your gift would be weird, but seriously? No one is having sex anytime soon!"

Cecily laughed, Will glared at his sister, and Jem blushed in embarrassment once he had finally caught on what was in the box. Taking Jem's gift from the ever decreasing pile, Cecily pushed it towards Tessa. "Perhaps this would be safer."

"I hope so." Tessa said, taking the present and nudging the box Cecily got her to the side.

"Will helped me out with some of it," Jem said, "But, I did come up with the idea and paid for it with my own money."

"I still did help you." Will threw in, smirking. Tearing open the neatly wrapped rectangular present, Tessa gaped when she saw what was inside.

"_Bleak House_!_ Lady Audley's Secret_! _A Study in Scarlet_!" Tessa cried happily, holding up the books. "You even got me _Wuthering Heights _and _Great Expectations_. I haven't read those in such a long time." She looked at Jem, clutching the books in her hand. "Thank you so much, James."

"You're welcome...Theresa." Jem murmured.

"Ahem. James is off limits, only I get to call him that." Will interjected, his voice casual and playful. Tessa threw him a fake exasperated glare before turning back to Jem.

"Thank you so very much! Or," Tessa added, looking sideways at Will. "As us 'American's' would say, cool gift, bro."

"What is a bro?" Will asked, confused. Tessa laughed.

"We have weird words."

"Last gift." Cecily announced, picking up the bag and setting it in front of Tessa. Plucking pieces of tissue paper from the bag, Tessa reached inside, pulling out neatly wrapped parcels that all had different, yet matching wrapping paper.

"Will, I didn't know you could correctly wrap a gift." Tessa teased.

"Well, Tessa." Will shrugged. "The world is full of surprises-"

"Alas," Jem retorted lightly, "it wasn't actually Will who wrapped them. You're welcome, William."

"Oh, Will!" Tessa said, drawing a small box from the paper. Inside was a necklace with a small pendant on the chain that read: There is prodigious strength in sorrow and despair. "Will, this is beautiful and you even have the quote from _A Tale of Two Cities_ on it."

"Oh, but alas," Cecily mimicked Jem's cool tone, "it wasn't Will who thought it up. I helped him find it and design it and order it. He's computer disabled, that boy."

"I don't know anything about necklaces." Will said. "I'm not a girl."

"Are you sure? Have you checked? No, of course you've checked but you're delusional sometimes." Cecily tilted her head towards Jem. "Have you checked? You should check."

Jem choked on his spit.

In the next small box, there was a mug with another quote on it. Will then explained how, "Because of English stereotypes, I found it fit that you have something to drink tea in." The next small jewelry piece was a bracelet that quoted _The Catcher in the Rye_ upon Holder's hat miniature. The last small box was the hardest to unwrap for it had been covered in numerous layer of wrapping paper and tap. Once Tessa had finally gotten the wrap off and peeled the tape from her fingertips, she opened the clasped box and smiled. Inside, there was a small note that said, "Homecoming?"

Looking up at Will, she nodded excitedly. "Yes, yes, yes. I would love to go. Cecily has ranted the entire day about what homecoming is about."

"I was thinking about photocopying my face and then imprinting it on a shirt with me asking it in a quote on the shirt, but I figured, oh well, they only sell tee shirts in white on this one site." Will said.

"And I was thinking about smashing Will's face in the photocopying machine." Jem said calmly, not changing his expression.

"You can do that," Tessa said, "After the dance. Oh, but thank you guys so much for the presents...except for Cecily." She turned and looked at the box Cecily had given her and flushed red again. "Really. I didn't think I would get anything."

"Okay." Will said impatiently. "Who wants cake?"


	20. Whatever You Do

Tessa let out a mew of protest as Will pulled her in by the hand, his hands pressing against her back. "Will! You know how the teachers-" Will cut her off, pushing his mouth against hers as the first bell rang. Kissing her lightly on her jaw, he smiled against her skin before letting her hand free from his.

"What was that about the teachers?" Will asked coyly, smirking.

"Nothing." Tessa grinned, waving her hand slight at him before walking the opposite direction. He watched her as she walked away, or rather, glided away as she always did. Was it just him or was she always graceful? Tessa bumped into someone going into her classroom. Yeah, it was just him. Was it just Tessa, or were all Americans as talented and smart as she was?

A hand on his shoulder startled him. He jumped, turning around quickly. Realizing it was Jem, he sighed. "Oh, it's just you."

"Yes. It's 'just me.'" Jem murmured softly, looking at Will. Judging by the blank expression on Will's face, he either didn't hear Jem's tone or he chose to ignore it. "Bell rung, you know. We have class..."

"I know." Will said, snapping out of his dreamy trance and flushing slightly red. Will felt an inward sense of confusion as he walked with Jem to his classroom. Not only did William Herondale blush, but he had never swooned over a girl like this. _It's just a passing faze, _Will assured himself as he swung the door to the classroom open, almost walking over to the wrong seat. He diverted his path, making a b-line for his seat and settled to the chair next to Jem. Putting his elbow on the desk, he rested his chin on his hand, hardly paying attention to the horrendously boring lesson and instead took to thinking about how his life had been so severely turned around, possible for the better, when he met a _girl_.

Too deep in his own thoughts, he didn't notice Jem's breathing hitch, his nails digging into his palm hard enough to draw blood for a moment before relaxing. It was only near the end of the period that Will had noticed a drop of blood on the desk where Jem sat.

Looking wildly around, he tried to catch sight of Jem, but the masses of students had already swirled around him, everyone looking unfamiliar and familiar at the same time. Making his way to his next class, chemistry, he opened the door and his blood ran cold. It was Jem who always insisted on getting to school early. It was Jem who always dragged Will to his classes when he dawdled his time away. And yet, it was Jem who was not in his classroom.

He sat down nervously, his eye on the door in case Jem came in, but by the time the bell rang, no one had gone in or out for the past minute. Turning around, he ignored the fact that Gabriel was an asshole and asked him, "Have you seen Jem?"

Gabriel shook his head, looking suspicious of Will's deadly calm demeanor...compared to usual. "No, but Cecily told me about his illness. Pity. I was hoping you'd be the one to die first."

Scowling at Gabriel, Will's eyes grew dark and angry. "Sorry to disappoint, but we're going to be visiting your funeral first if you keep dating my sister and being such a bastard."

"Mr. Herondale, is something the matter?" Mr. Lightworm...wood, snapped. His eyes were rimmed with red, his long, beaky nose sticking out on his head like a carrot on a snowman, looking awkward on such a sallow face.

"Yes, Mr. Lightwor- wood. Mr. Lightwood. Jem is missing." Will said tightly, desperately trying to control his fury for..._their _family. "I know where he is."

"I'm afraid he is late for the bell has already rung."

"I need to get him." Will insisted, his frustration growing by the second.

"You can wait until after class. he is not your responsibility."

_Oh, but he is. As I am his as well._ Without another word, Will stood up and left, leaving the entire class staring dumbfounded behind him. Racing across the campus, he checked behind the gym, but it was empty. Jem wouldn't have gone to the nurse office; he hated the attention. Where would he have gone? Will's eye caught the bathroom. Darting over to it, Will suspected he looked like a kindergartener trying to get to the bathroom before he couldn't hold it any longer.

Jem was leaning over the sink, both his eyes wide and silvery. Another strip of his hair had gone completely silver, looking harsh against his dark brown black hair. his nails were bloodied, digging into the side of the sink which frankly did more damage to him than the actual porcelain itself.

Jem gagged, blood trickling out from the corners of his mouth as he fought the urge to cough. Will went over to him after sparing a glance at Jem's backpack which was laying carelessly on the ground. "James. Did you bring any?"

"I'm fine." Jem gasped as his breathing shallowed, more blood spilling into the sink. "I don't need it. Please just go. Just go."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Jem laughed, his voice sounded ragged and gritty as he spoke. "Stubborn as always."

"I learned it from you."

"I know."

"Then you know that I'm not leaving until you take some of your...medicine." Will said carefully between gritted teeth. Kneeling on the floor in disgust, Will pulled Jem's backpack closer to him, sifting through its contents. It was neatly organized, loopy and calligraphically written letters labeling each notebook and folder. Finally, there was the packet.

Taking it out and pulling one of the old, disposable water bottles that had gotten buried over the months out of Jem's backpack, he unscrewed the plastic cap, tossing it into the trash. Then, ripping the packet open with his teeth, he poured the powder into the bottle and stood up. Giving it to Jem, he drank it, knowing Will would be on his case if he didn't. Dropping the empty bottle into the trash, Jem sighed.

"Better?" Will asked.

"I'm fine." Jem said adamantly. "Can you just promise me one thing though?"

"What?"

"Whatever you do," Jem said hesitantly. "Don't tell Tessa."


	21. Exclusively Dating

Tessa shoved her birthday box Cecily had given her in the back of her closet, grimacing as some of the contents fell out. She practically lived at Charlotte's place now, though Charlotte was hardly ever home. She didn't feel the need to have to go back to the apartment Sophie had let her stay at to keep Sophie company now. She had Gideon and was always preoccupied with something that involved him and his extracurricular school activities. Will and Jem had gone out on some sort of...thing, wearing somewhat different outfits than their norm. Tessa knew better by now than to ask where they were going.

"Someone has to make another trip to the mall." Cecily said behind her. Tessa jumped, her shoulders tensing up.

"Jesus. Do you people ever knock?" Tessa asked, her hand rested on her chest. "It seems like you people have a thing for sneaking up on each other. Even Jem seems to appear out of no where and he is the least unpredictable out of the three of you."

"Trust me Tessa," Cecily said, her voice low and husky. "He is more unpredictable than you think." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "I should know."

Tessa gave her a disgusted look. "Ew. That's gross, Cecy."

"I'm just kidding, but no, really. I mean, except for the last part, not that he isn't undeniable cute and handsome, but he's like a brother...Oh my God. Did I just call him cute? Yuck. That's just weird. I don't like him like that, he's just like family. I mean, I used to like him like a lot, but then I decided, 'What the hell? He's practically the brother of my brother and that would make me his almost sister. I just, wow, I am definitely talking too much." Cecily laughed slightly, clasping her hands in front of her uncomfortably. "Yeah, he's...he's just awesome, you know? So is my brother, the real one. When he's not drunk, he's great, mostly."

"I understand. Hey, I like your outfit. It looks a lot more _you_, rather than some peppy girl that you used to come to school as." Tessa said, smiling warmly at her.

"You think?" Cecily asked, answering her smile. She looked down at herself. Baggy, black low hanging sweatpants that cinched at the middle of her shin, a black, long sleeved tee shirt with red cuffs and a red beanie. Her hair was down and curling haphazardly down her back, not straight and sprayed as it usually was. It just looked so casual, but nice after seeing her always in bright colors and heels. Today, it was a miracle that Cecily was wearing purple converse, with no heel on them. _Yes! _Tessa thought triumphantly. _Converse aren't out of style after all!  
_  
"So, back to the mall?" Tessa grinned. "With you driving since it is extremely important to you."

"Oh, yeah. Trust me, driving young looks cool and it helps you get guys." Cecily said as she gestured for Tessa to follow her.

"Ahem, Gabriel. What about him?"

"Oh, yeah. We're together but it's not like I can't have some fun once in a while. I'm only going to be young until I'm like...twenty one because after that, it loses excitement." Cecily explained, managing to keep a straight face throughout the entire conversation. "It's not like we are dating exclusively. You and Will aren't dating exclusively...right?"

"Well, it's not like I'm seeing other people." Tessa said, getting into the car. "Why do you say that?"

"Oh, then it is sort of like you're dating exclusively." Cecily said, disappointed. "That would have been so much fun, though. It's not like Will's seeing anyone else either. He already saw them all. All of them except Sophie, but they absolutely despise each other. We could have gone to clubs and danced with guys and done all that fun stuff."

"You know what amazes me, Cecily?" Tessa said when Cecily started the car and backed out of the driveway. "I'm a year older than you are, and you are way more into guys than I am."

"Being friends with me, haha, that will change. I'm not saying you should dump my brother because honestly, I want to have a really pretty sister-in-law, so I'm betting on you to either marry Will or Jem-"

"But Jem and I, that's...no. He's really nice and he's a great friend, but he doesn't like me that way, Cece. I like your brother a lot, maybe a little more than I should but I get what you're trying to say about seeing other people. Still, when you form a relationship to someone, don't you feel obligated to stay true to it?"

"Eh. Sometimes. Last year I dated around so it wasn't really that big of a deal."

"Cece! You were a freshman last year. Don't you think that's a little...young?"

"Oh, don't worry. I didn't have to use the special box...you know, like the one I gave you. I'm better than that. I've learned from Will that I shouldn't do any of that stuff until I'm at least 17 or 18." Cecily said, keeping her face straight. Tessa dropped her mouth open, widening her eyes at her casual tone. Cecily giggled, glancing at Tessa's gaping expression. "You're so easy to trick, Tessa. I'm not that much of a partier. I went to a club once with Jem because I dragged him there, and a couple other times with my other friends, but it's not like I just go around dating guys."

"Oh..."

"I don't plan on getting 'prego' in high school, Tessa! That can just be reserved for the others. I am very academically focused." Cecily smiled. "Most of the time. Trust me, compared to Will, I am a complete and utter saint." Cecily stepped on the brake hard, just noticing the red stoplight. "Damn it. Those bastards that made the stoplight. I'm gonna kill 'em all."

"Yeah..." Tessa looked at Cecily sideways. "I can see why you consider yourself a saint."


	22. Dance to your Death

"You are looking very debonair." Tessa said, desperately trying to pull off an English accent.

"Yeah," Will shook his head. "It's still just plain awful because you're."

"American. Yeah, I know." Tessa said, pressing her lips to his. Pulling away, she smiled softly. "Are you ready to go?"

"Are _you_ ready to see girls utterly fall faint and swoon at my 'debonair', as you call it? Trust me, it's not the outfit that looks good, Tessa." Will smirked, his eyes practically glowing in the dim light. "Of course, if you'd rather just have the suit, we can trade outfits if you want. I'd look completely charming in both." He scanned her shamelessly, from the neckline of her dress where her necklace hung just above the fabric to the small flare of the dress that Cecily insisted was absolutely and inarguably detrimental.

It was fancier a dress than Tessa was used to wearing, and definitely more makeup than usual, but Cecily had smiled and told her that she didn't need any to look pretty. Cecily was standing close to them, her hand rested on the crook of Gabriel's elbow as he spared a couple uneasy glances towards Will. "Just a moment." Cecily said to Gabriel, walking over to Tessa. "I think you're going to have fun."

"Looking funky, Cecily. You look awesome." Tessa said, admiring the streaks of glow in the dark pink Cecily had bleached and dyed into her hair. Tessa wasn't a fan of pink, nor did she quite understand why people dyed their hair, but it was freaking glow in the dark.

"You look nice, Tessa. It's nice to see you in a dress." Cecily smiled. She turned to her bother, giving him a soft punch in the shoulder. "Don't get too crazy."

"There goes my night." Will said, his mouth twitching up into a grin.

"Just make sure that, by the end of the night, your clothing is still firmly secured to your body or I will staple it to you the next time we go somewhere nice."

"Just make sure that, by the end of the night, Gabriel is dead in a ditch somewhere or I will kill him myself." Will retorted. Cecily narrowed her eyes but smiled slightly, hurrying over to Gabriel.

It was overwhelming, walking into the dance. Though it might have just seemed normal to others, Tessa's experience with actual dances and parties fell short of most people. The lights were neon, translucent specs seemingly floating around mid air, decorating the room in rainbow spectrums of light. Tessa tightened her hand on Will's, her eyes widening at the masses of people in the room.

The music was blaringly loud, but it was almost enchanting, washing away Tessa's cares and fears until she forgot that such a delirious experience was finite. The song ended and another one started up, playing a slower, softer tune. Tessa grimaced. "Isn't this song too inappropriate for school?"

"Does it matter?" Will asked, putting his hand on her hip and taking her hand. "It's an old song. Old songs are always about killing, drugs, or sex."

Tessa laughed, putting her head on his chest. "You're so awful."

"Thank you."

"You know, Cecily once told me that you were an awful dancer."

"I'm not _that _bad, am I? I mean, Cecy always over exaggerates things."

Trying to stay on beat, Tessa looked up at him. "Who taught you how to dance?"

"Jem."

"Did you just pull a Sherlock on me?"

"Which one? The new movies?"

"Yes."

"Perhaps I did. It was Sherlock that taught Watson how to dance...hey, but that would make me Watson and him Sherlock. That's definitely not right."

"So, why doesn't he come to the dances then?"

"Oh, he, um, he never asks anyone." Responded Will, pushing a stray curl of hair out of her face. "He never does and he never has. Last year, when the school tried to host a Sadie Hawkins dance for the first time, it was awful by the way, he was asked by three girls, not including myself, and he denied them all. I don't know why."

"And you wonder why Gabriel thinks or rather, thought, you and him were together. I remember when I first met you-"

"I was in a charming mood."

"And I thought of how ridiculous you looked and instantly, I couldn't help but think of you as annoying and rude." Tessa murmured, her eyes half closed. "And then I went to the coffee shop with you and you just left and I hated you, and then you helped me realize I didn't because I-"

"Let you borrow _Armadale." _Will said, finishing her sentence. "And then I shot Gabriel with a paintball."

"You're so weird."

"You've already told me that."

"I know, but I mean it." Tessa said, putting her arms around his neck. He leaned forward, slanting his mouth across hers slowly, using one hand to tip her chin up. Ignoring the people that swirled around them, they held onto each other, the world starting to fall apart around them. It was just them, and them only, until something startled the very silence and peace that held them together.

Will drew away, his eyes widening in fear. Tessa pulled her arms down, grabbing his wrist with her hand. He tried to pull away, his hands shaking. It was like reality and his greatest nightmare had barreled into him, his hands clenching into fists. "No...no."

"Will!" Tessa gripped harder on his wrists, her fingernails digging into the hem of his coat. She cursed her voice for cracking, making her sound young and scared. "What is it?"

Turning to her, his expression was eerily blank, his voice flat. "He's supposed to be dead." He whispered before yanking out of her grip and running after a dark shape. And then Tessa realized that she was alone.


	23. Confusion

By the time Tessa had secured the fact that Will wasn't coming back for her at the dance, she left, nobody but herself noticing her absence. The night was freezing, brisk chills of fog swirling around her feet and around her dress. Her hair had come out from it's light curl, tumbling down her back as Tessa pulled the pins out and tightened her hand around them. She was cold, tired and confused. She was confused at what had startled Will and why he had left her by herself in the middle of the school. Perhaps it had something to do with his more...secretive history, but nothing could be made sure. He hadn't been exactly open with her with anything about his life before last year.

She considered going back to her apartment, but instinctively made her way back to the house she had so often gone to for comfort. The lights were dimmed on the inside, but the incandescent bulbs glowed enough for her to make out the small details on the front porch. She ran her finger over the strange black swirling symbol etched in by the door before knocking.

Jem answered, peering out before opening it fully in confusion. His hair had silvered more in a way that Tessa knew it wasn't just a trick of light. Looking at her in puzzlement, he beckoned her inside. "Tessa. Where's Will?"

Tessa shrugged, slumping down onto the couch. Ripping the remaining pins from her hair, she dropped them onto the table by the couch, watching as they clattered loudly onto the glass. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"We were there and he..." Tessa put her arms around herself, rubbing her shoulders to get rid of the goosebumps that prickled her skin. "He just ran off. I waited for half an hour and I looked for him but I couldn't see him and he was just gone." Closing her eyes and willing back the confused and angry tears that burned in her chest, she stayed frozen for a moment, trying to make sense of what had happened.

"Tessa." Jem said softly, sitting tentatively beside her. "Are you going to be alright?"

"I'm fine, it's just...Never mind."

"No, you can tell me. I'm your...I just want you to be able to just say what you need to. Cecy and I have had plenty of Will interventions and recovery meetings."

Tessa almost smiled, looking up at Jem. She bit her lip and he could tell she was trying not to cry, to not show weakness. "I don't know. It's just that it's been hard and this was sort of the last straw for me. He is a good person, I know it, but I'm fed up with him. I don't know what to do, Jem." She wiped at the bottom line of her eye, carful not to smear the sparse amounts of makeup she had on. "My life has sort of been turned over these last six months and just nothing feels right."

"It is alright. The moment before dawn is always the darkest." Jem murmured, looking at her through the dark. "You'll find your place. Everyone does."

"Everything is just so different. This town, this school, Will-"

"Will has always cared too much and angered too many. He is broken, but he can be kind-"

"_You_ are kind. You are a good friend, Jem. Thank you for understanding." Tessa whispered, her voice edged with lassitude and underlying pain. Jem tensed for a moment, staring at her stiffly as she shivered. Snapping himself out of his thoughts, he pushed himself up, walking over to the cabinet and pulling out a blanket. Opening it, he gave it to her. She smiled in thanks, wrapping it around herself and staring out through the curtains and the tinted panes of glass. "What is Will doing?"

There was silence, a fragile web of nothing for a second as Jem sat back down. "I don't know." He said finally, pushing his hair back. "I try not to think about it too much because then he'll have me shipped off to an asylum for thinking homicidal thoughts about him."

"Goodness. Is he really that annoying?"

"When you live with him, he is different. He is very...important to me. He is like my brother."

"I had a brother as well."

"Nate, was it? What was he like?"

Tessa paused, swallowing back her grief. "He _was _a wonderful brother before I found out the truth. He would always dream of wonderful things that he would do. It turns out, he would never achieve them. It turns out, he wasn't even my brother."

"I am sorry."

"I am sorry too."

"Tessa, tell me truly if you are going to be okay. You used to be so different."

"I have changed. Everyone changes and is worn away by the rough edges of loss and sharpened by the needles of pain. I've just made so many stupid mistakes that I'm wondering if coming here was one as well."

"No." Jem said hastily, turning towards her. "It is only human to make mistakes, but you learn things from them. It is good to make mistakes." She didn't change her solemn expressing, her glimmering eyes still staring outside. "Tessa. You're so sad. I want to help, but you are so sad. What happened to the jokes and the fun you used to make out of such awful situations?"

"I grew up."

"You are not the same." Jem breathed. "Wǒ xiǎngniàn nǐ."

"What does that mean?"

"...It means," Jem glanced outside, fidgeting slightly. "It means it's getting late."

"I know. I think I want to stay here tonight if that is alright."

"Of course." Jem said, looking down at her. "You can stay here as long as you want."

"Really?" Tessa yawned, tightening the blanket around her. Jem nodded slightly though it was too dark to see and just sat waiting; waiting for his parabatai to come back home.


	24. Shattering Bonds

Jem had almost fallen asleep by the time the door had clicked open. Cecily had already returned about four hours earlier at around ten, so Jem knew that it was probably Will who was at the door. The door swung open and Will stepped inside, his figure just a dark silhouette with little details picked out as small rays of moonlight filtered through the glass. Casting a glance at Tessa, who was curled up asleep against Jem, he stalked to his room, anger radiating off of him.

Trying to carefully move from the couch to a standing position without disturbing Tessa, he put weight on the ground, wincing when the floorboards creaked. Ever so softly and slowly, he edged himself off, startling him when she pulled tighter at the blanket, murmuring something in her sleep. Walking unhurriedly down the hall, Jem dug his fingertips into his palm, trying to calm his rising temper. Reaching Will's door, he took a deep breath before swinging it open. Will was inside, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. He looked rather like a caged animal as well, his dark hair matted with blood and shallow cuts running along his arms. Jem was thankful that Tessa was asleep because if Will had come in while she was awake, she would have seen the exposed runes lacing his arms.

Will froze when he saw Jem, his blue eyes filling with rage and pain and fear. Opening his mouth to say something, he scowled. Jem stepped inside, pushing the door shut behind him before letting his patience run out. "What the _hell _was all that about?"

"You're a liar. You are a bloody liar." Will snarled, his eyes blazing.

"You just left Tessa in the middle of the dance. She had to walk back because you left. She's not just some disposable chew toy, Will. She is a human being! And she is vulnerable and mortal and defenseless against any sort of demons."

"She's a mundane."

"Which means we are _obligated_ to protect her. Have you any idea what kind of people roams our streets, what kinds of things happen?" Jem snapped angrily. Will took a step back, his shocked expression replacing his angered one as he listened to his parabatai. Narrowing his eyes, Jem lowered his tone. "How would you feel if Gabriel made Cecily walk the entire way back to our house."

"She's a Shadowhunter. She can take care of herself."

"But Tessa bloody isn't, is she?" Jem took a ragged breath of air, locking outraged stares with Will.

"You knew about him. You knew and you didn't tell me."

"Because then you would do something stupid, Will. You always do. That's why Cecily and I were trying to lay low. You are impetuous, idiotic, and too damn hard to control." This was the angriest Will had ever seen Jem and instantly, he knew something had snapped.

"What is this really about, Jem?" Will asked, his voice shaking. Jem was shaking with fury, the silvery streaks in his hair almost glowing in the bright gleam of the light in Will's room. Staying quiet for a moment, Jem ran a hand through his hair and glanced upwards in an attempt to diffuse his anger.

"This is about keeping you both safe, about making sure no one here is getting hurt."

Will shook his head, his jaw set tight. "No. Something's wrong. I can feel it and see it. You're lying _again _about something."

"Oh, really. Like you haven't lied."

"It was to keep you and everyone safe."

"Covering up Marbas was to keep you and others safe as well! All this time you've been a fool to let people go, to try to forget, and you never really recognize what you have until it's gone, and even then...You're too unpredictable."

"You don't understand what hell my life has been."

"We've all been to hell and back but at least some try to move on."

"I can't move on from living five goddamned years of my life imprisoned from myself. I can't forget."

"I'm not saying you should forget. I figured that you would finally start acting like a normal person, not Shadowhunter, person, once we moved here. I've given you chances and if you weren't the arrogant, stuck up bastard that you are, you would admit that you're too scared and insecure to truly-" Jem was cut off as Will pushed Jem back, pinning him to the wall. His breaths were coming in short, rapid exhalations and inhalations, his heartbeat fast and unsteady.

"Don't you ever say that to me. I've known too much pain-"

"So have I. Do you know where my parents are, Will?" Jem asked, his voice eerily soft and calm in the rage of the situation. "They are dead. They are gone. You still have a chance. There was no curse on you and there is no curse on you now."

Will hands were still at Jem's shoulders, holding him against the wall with brutal force. "You act as if nothing hurts you-"

"_Everything_ hurts me but I don't make a fuss about it like you do."

"I'm sick of you and your stupid, little talks about always trying to get better and change." Will growled, ignoring the guilt that burned in his chest.

"How does it feel, William?" Jem whispered, his eyes staring into Will's with utter concentration. "How does it feel that you try to put me beneath you instead of us sorting it out by equals? How does it feel to know that you hurt everyone that trusts you?"

"I..." Will said, pulling his hands to his sides and bringing one hand to feverishly push back his hair. "I didn't...I'm sorry, James. I'm sorry."

"No. It's too late, Will." Jem said sadly as he backed out from the room. "It's too late."

**Author's Note: Okkkkaaayyy! SO, I hope you have enjoyed this series so far and it's frequent updates. However, I will be quite busy for the next month or so, so I will be updating this perhaps a couple times a week if I'm lucky. I'm going to really try to fit this into my schedule but sometimes life is calling for you. Keep on the reviews and I hope you enjoy the chapters to come.**


	25. Love is Finite

"Are they okay?" Cecily whispered to Jem, swinging her legs as she sipped her lemonade on the porch. Jem sat down in one of the iron wrought chairs, shrugging. Cecily sighed, blowing into the straw and watching the translucent air pockets rise and pop to the surface. "Will hasn't come out the entire day and Tessa won't talk to him. You never told me what happened on Friday. What changed?"

"Will and I fought." Jem admitted, looking miserable as Cecily sat down on the floor beside him. Smashing an ant, she flicked it with her ring finger.

"About what?"

"He...he found out about Marbas."

Cecily inhaled a breath of air in surprise, biting her lip. "And he freaked? How does that connect with why Tess is all down?"

"I don't blame her. We can't tell her anything and weird things keep happening that she thinks are unusual." Jem looked down at the floor, his hair falling slightly over his face. "Will saw Marbas at the dance and left Tessa. He didn't go back and didn't come back to the house till two in the morning."

"Ouch. By the Angel, that must have sucked." Cecily said with sympathy in her voice. "For Tessa especially since she doesn't know about demons or us in general."

"She'll find out."

"What makes you think that?"

"She's different. She's smart." Jem responded, looking sideways at Cecily.

"Okay, kill me if I'm being brutally honest or immature, but you crushing on Tessa has you totally biased, not that she isn't very smart...for a mundane." Cecily giggled, poking Jem in the side. Giving Cecily a look of confusion, Jem tried to hide his embarrassment. Cecily just poked him again. "Oh my gosh, it is so obvious. It's something called attraction! You are so behind in the modern world."

"What are you talking-"

"Attraction. According to the online dictionary, attraction is a person or thing that attracts, allures, or entices. Tessa being the person and you being the vict-"

"I know what attraction is!" Jem sputtered momentarily at the subject, his face reddening with sheepishness. "And I don't need to get mixed up between Will and Tessa. They're together."

Cecily raised an eyebrow. "Are they?"

"By the Angel, Cecily. You've been trying to hook me up with every single girl at school and before that until Tessa came. Why?"

"You need a love life." Cecily said in a matter-of-fact tone, taking another sip of her lemonade. She made a face, licking her lips as she swallowed. "Your life is making my lemonade tart and bitter. You need to sweeten it up."

"Add truvia." Jem muttered, leaning back and slumping in his chair. Cecily snorted, choking on her drink as she accidentally inhaled her lemonade.

"Come on. Just take her somewhere. Be her friend!"

"I already am 'her friend.'"

"Well then I see no problem with...oh. You mean _that_ kind of friend." Cecily clicked her tongue, shrugging. "That type of friendship is just always the worst. Just break out of the zone then. You're a cool guy, Jem."

"Cecily. Don't you understand! Will and Tessa are together! They are together! I'm not that kind of person that goes and forms irrational relationships. I can't look at her in front of Will, I feel like I can't talk to him in front of her. I'm losing my parabatai because we both did something horrendously stupid." Jem said, willing Cecily to understand his words. "We really should have told him."

Looking behind her, Cecily raised an eyebrow. "And thus the lion has pursued the lamb, unleashing its fiery wrath from the safety of its den."

"What book was that from?"

Cecily smiled. "You mean it sounded like a quote from an actual book?"

**~~ooo~~**

Will crossed silently across the hallway into the living room, freezing when he saw Tessa in a chair facing away from him. "Tessa?" She was still, her shoulders tightening as she heard his voice. "Tessa. I need to talk to you."

Turning around, she looked at him out of the corner of her eyes, frowning. "Are you going to tell me why you just left?"

"I can't, but-"

"You can't? You left me in the dance and I walked home by myself because you were off doing your own thing." Tessa said, standing up to look at him. There was guarded hurt, anger, and distrust in her eyes, but mostly, there was cold, hard pain. She shook her head, closing her eyes. "For a while, Will, I was convinced that I was something to you and not just another girl. I had hoped that I meant something, but you keep keeping these secrets and you can't trust me with your heart. For a while, I thought that I was in love. It was all just a passing fancy, wasn't it?"

"Tessa. Look, you mean a lot to me but there are some things that I do not have the permission, nor the cruelty to tell you. If you believe me that it keeps you safe, then it would be so much easier." Will pleaded, humility being stuck into him like a dagger. "I never meant to hurt you."

"But you did, Will, and I'm done with all these problems of ours." Tessa murmured, looking at him in pain. "_Love cannot live where there is no trust._"

"Did you just quote Edith Hamilton's _Mythology_ at me." Will asked, trying for humor though his voice betrayed him and faltered. "I've never cared for that story. Too much suffering and mush."

"Yes. It is true, though." Tessa smiled at him sadly as she walked over to him, pressing her lips lightly to his before drawing away. "I'll never stop caring, but it cannot work the way things are going right now. It is done. We are over."


	26. Rekindled

"Tessa! Tessa!" Jem called through the sharp wind, cupping his hands around his mouth. She stood against the wind, her hair blowing behind her and the moon illuminating her silhouette like some heroine in a movie. "Tessa!" Finally, she turned around, her steely gray eyes the same color as the London fog. Jem hurried over to her, placing himself casual in front of her so she was blocked by the wind. "Cecily was worried about you. She sent me to get you. There's supposed to be a storm tonight."

"I know." Tessa said, her expression blank. "Have you come to pull me back to the house?"

"No. I just wanted to make sure you were safe." Jem said, looking out over the bridge's edge. "It's a fancy seeing you here. This is my favorite bridge. Not the prettiest one, but the view at night and at dawn is lovely. What brings you here?"

"I'm just thinking." Tessa sighed, putting her hands on the bridge railing and staring out into the distance. "I'm thinking about many things." _Will? _Jem thought guiltily, biting his lip and regretting their careless and hurtful fight. Tessa looked at him, giving him the suspicion that he might have spoken his words out loud. However, she just nodded, keeping her lips pressed tightly together. "Yes, I suppose I am. It was never going to work anyway."

"I see." Jem was quiet, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets look glancing up at the clouds. They were heavy and dark, swirling and growling angrily as the wind whipped around them. If Will were there, more than likely, he would have made mention of a storm in his books and quoted something. He was peculiar that way.

"We should go back anyways. It's late." Tessa said after a long moment of silence, zipping up her jacket. As if the skies heard her, small, freezing droplets of rain decided to loose themselves from their cloud net, tapping hard on the bridge stone like gravel. Pulling on both of their hoods, they hurried off the bridge, wincing when the drops stung their faces.

"Yeah. We should definitely go." Jem laughed breathily though they were already soaked, their hair pasted to their faces and skin slick with water. Splashing without much care through the puddles that never seemed to have fully evaporated before filling up again, they ducked for cover under a small overhang that continued close to the house. Tessa's teeth were chattering, her arms shaking as she wrapped them around herself, trying to get warm.

The rain was coming down in buckets now and Jem couldn't help but look to the sky and reminisce his first day being in London and noting that boot only was everything gray, but a habitual dampness ran through the town and people even if it wasn't raining. In the dark, Jem's hair looked almost black as his hood fell off, only small strips of it a dark silver, and even that blended in with the black. At the sight of a partly drenched Tessa, he couldn't help but flash a quicksilver of a smile in her direction. Noticing it, Tessa glared halfheartedly at him.

"Are you laughing at me, James?" Tessa accused, pushing back sodden hair from her eyes .

"No! I'm not laughing at you." Jem said quickly, a small look of amusement passing over his eyes.

"I think you were laughing at me." Tessa said, studying his facial expressions. "I know I look absolutely dreadful but...There it is again. You so did laugh." Tessa said pointing at him, a subtle grin spread across her features. Jem fought back a small laugh as she raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't laughing at you. Not really."

"Well, you're quite the charmer." Tessa said sarcastically. Jem smiled again, hurrying forward to knock on the door. Tessa looked at him in confusion. "Don't you have keys."

"Er...no, but Cecily is home." Jem said, peering through the small glass panel at the middle of the doorway. Cecily became visible in the dim light of the house. Cracking the door open, Cecily cringed.

"I asked you to see if she was alright, not take her on a water park spree." Cecily said, looking over Jem and Tessa. She heaved an enormous sigh, putting her hand on her hip. "Opening the door just let all the freezing air in and I was just starting to get warm."

"Can we come in?"

"Ehhh..." Cecily pulled Tessa inside, making a face when water dripped onto the rug. As Jem moved to follow her, she pushed him back. "Nope. You and Will will have to find your way back in if you want in."

Jem looked around incredulously, putting his hands up in puzzlement. "What? Cecily, seriously, don't lock me out again. You know that I'm going to be able to get back in anyway."

Tessa shivered. "Are you seriously going to lock him out?"

"Yeah, no, don't worry, I do it all the time. There was this one time when..." Cecily shut the door before she finished, leaving Jem outside for the third time that month. He groaned. Why did he have to get all the crazy roommates? Sighing in resignation, he fumbled around the porch, looking for a bobby pin or paper clip that someone might have dropped. Sensing someone was behind him, Jem turned around, a cold block of ice settling in his stomach.

"Will." Jem whispered, this strange feeling of awkwardness spreading over him. Will ignored him, knocking on the door profusely before wiping away the foggy glass and looking through it. Jem crossed his arms. "Cecily locked us out."

"No shit, Sherlock." Will spat, his blue eyes blazing. He turned to Jem, his jaw set tight. There was a long scratch down his cheek, bleeding and smearing across his face in the rain. Jem took in a startled breath, instinctively forgetting about their argument and moving to his side, studying the cut.

"Will?" He said sadly and softly. "Where do you go?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Will, If Charlotte saw you-"

"I don't care what she thinks."

"Will, can you for once just-"

"Listen, I know you are mad that we fought-"

"You think I'm mad because we fought? I don't care if we fought every day of our life because no matter how angry we both get, it is just a fight. That's it. But when you come home, and you're hurt, it makes me fear for you and it makes me mad that you don't care about what happens, because I do."

"I know, and I wish that you wouldn't."

"Will, you don't have to act like that anymore."

"I just...In Raziels names, Jem, I screwed up and I screwed up bad."

"Yeah, you kinda did. I know that I should have told you about...him, but that reaction was what I was trying to prevent. You're just kind of stupid sometimes."

Will laughed, painfully and forcefully. "Can we just forget for this one moment that you're right?"

"For now, but I'm going to have to keep a record of you admitting I'm right."

"I'm going to have to keep a record of you swearing. Where did you learn that? I didn't think you would ever swear like that in my lifetime or in anyone's."

"I don't know. I just remember just feeling really angry at what an idiot you were. Everything after that is sort of hazy. And then I remember just waking up with two bruises on my back. I do not need multicolored skin, Will."

"Okay, okay, okay! I think we were both just acting like me, and just on steroids, but can we please open the damn door because my fingers are going to fall off." Will said, rubbing his hands together. Jem smiled again, putting his finger lightly on the keyhole.

"You wouldn't possibly have a pin or paper clip on you, would you?"

**Author's Note: Don't worry, bookowls, as you can see by this chapter, I could never keep Jem and Will apart for too long. :)**


	27. Surprise

"Don't do it, Jem, don't pull the older card on both of us." Cecily called back at Jem and Tessa, running to her red prius and hugging it. "This car is my baby."

"Cecily. I am nearly two years older than you are so I get to drive. Remember the last time you drove and nearly drove us literally off a cliff." Jem said, walking over casually to the car and opening up the drivers side, slipping in. He turned it on, rolling down the window and smiling slightly at Cecily. "I don't know about you, but I wouldn't like to die today, especially today."

"I know because it's your birthday and blah blah blah. You just pulled the older card and the birthday card...sort of." Cecily groaned, crossing her arms. "Did you know that Asian drivers cause the most accidents every year?"

"Well good thing I'm only half asian, isn't it? Did you know that Welsh people are all thought to be crass, rude, unpleasant and very enthusiastic about-"

"Things related to sex? Yeah, that sounds like us."

Jem made a face, looking at Cecily in horror. "I was going to say leeks and sheep..."

"A very specific someone refused to come and is currently hunting a certain someone, so I'm inviting Gabriel." Cecily announced to no one in particular, changing the subject. "Well, I texted him yesterday about it, but that's unimportant. I do have an extra spot."

"I knew it was for something...reservation like. Lunch possibly? Cecy, I can tell by your planning and the hints you give out so bluntly." Jem said, a slight grin on his mouth. Cecily stuck her bottom lip out in a fake pout, getting into the back seat. Tessa got into the passenger side, turning around and facing Cecily.

"Where are we going anyway?" Tessa asked, rubbing at her throat where her hair was tickling her skin. She had dressed nicer for the occasion when Cecily insisted that it was a very nice venue. Though she wasn't a fan of dresses, shopping with Cecily had her almost required to wear something girly, yet fun and unique. She really did hate pink, though.

"I'm not telling!" Cecily said in a sing songy voice, clutching a bag that had small pieces of paper in it. Reservation receipts, probably. "But it's going to be very nice and very fun and interesting. I've never been but I've always wanted to."

Turning to Jem, Tessa sighed. "Jem, where are we going?"

He shrugged, gripping the steering wheel as he spotted Gabriel walking up towards them. Squealing, Cecily leapt out of the car, grabbing Gabriel and shoving him into the back seat. Jem let out a small laughter at Gabriel's half embarrassed, half confused face. "I have no clue where we are going. Cecily wouldn't tell me what it was. Speaking of that," he held his hand back to Cecily, "I need the directions." Looking at Jem's outstretched hand, Cecily dug in her purse, pulling out a folded piece of paper and shoving it into his hand.

Opening the slip of paper, there were big lines of black marking through the actual destination. The only words visible on the paper were the directions to getting to the place. Starting the car, Jem made a face as he studied the directions.

"What is it?" Tessa asked, looking at the directions.

"After living with Cecily, you learn to never trust her directions. For all I know, we could be going to see a play...or commit an upscale mass murder at a Turkish bath house. Trust me, it's happened before."

"Turkish bath house?" Cecily snorted, trying to choke down an amused grin. "Out of all the places we could go, the one place you think of is a _Turkish bath house?" _Cecily poked Jem from the backseat.

"Cecily. I'm starting to think you have an obsession with poking people."

"No. Just an obsession with poking you...and Gabriel, sometimes."

"Am I the only one in here that has no idea what is going on?" Gabriel inquired, just as confused as Tessa when it came to where Jem was driving. "I don't think I've ever been in this part in town before."

"Trust me, I'm just as confused as you are. I'm just following the directions Cecily gave me." Jem answered, shrugging. He turned a corner, absentmindedly muttering the directions to himself under his breath when he looked up. "Oh, Cecy, you did not!"

Cecily smiled, trying to to appear to overjoyed at her present to him. "I had hoped you would like it. I did tell you it was going to be good and instead you start talking about Turkish bath houses. You're eighteen today! Finally an adult."

"Does that mean I'll be able to boss you around?"

"Ehhh, no. Unless it is a perfectly good task to complete or if I enjoy doing such absurd than that, sorry to break it to you, Jem, but age is just a number."

Pulling up to the curb, Jem parked and got out, still looking up. "Cecy, hey, thanks for thinking of a place that's mildly reasonable compared to most of your suggestions. But it's expensive!"

"And that concerns me because..?" Cecily said, pulling Gabriel after her and going inside the restaurant. Tessa raised an eyebrow.

"What is this place?"

"It's famous for the view. Nice restaurant, overpriced food, but lovely seating arrangements. I've only seen pictures." Jem said, holding the door open for her. He grinned, going in after her and following Cecily to the table. "Knowing Cecily, we're definitely getting window seats...hence the restaurant name Windows." He paused, looking sideways at her. "I just do hope you aren't afraid of heights."

"Why?"

"Because," Jem said, pressing the button to the elevator. "It's twenty eight stories up."

**Author's Note: I just want to thank bookowls real quick for the such marvelously long reviews that she has been writing and thanks to TickTockClockWork and iluvmagnus for the frequent reviews. Thanks guys. :)**


	28. Lovely Indeed

It had taken almost five snail-like minutes to get to the top, people stopping the elevator and boarding it and getting back off. The constant exchange of people was painstakingly slow, each one a buffer so the group had to wait patiently until the twenty eighth floor. However, it had been worth it. The view was utterly immaculate and breathtaking; even Gabriel seemed mutely impressed as Cecily tugged excitedly at his arm. It was a wonder how he hadn't been driven to madness just yet.

A short, young girl in a uniform walked up to them, waving them onwards with a tight, enthusiastic smile as she led them to their seats. Pulling out four menus, she set them on the bar and pointed out the specials, making an extra note on the wine to Cecily as she gave her an enthusiastic smile back. Tessa looked at Cecily in puzzlement for a moment once the server was gone. "Why are we at the _bar_?" Though the view was absolutely lovely in front of them as they looked over parts of London, they weren't even twenty one yet and thus, weren't allowed to drink.

"Um, hello! Rule breakers!" Cecily grinned, winking at Tessa slyly. Cecily had something in her hand that gleamed a sapphire red in the light for a split second as she pulled it out from her sleeve and slipped it into the bag. Looking back at Tessa, Cecily shrugged, pulling her sleeve over a small black swirling of lines that Tessa was too far away to see. "I've been doing it since I was fifteen. No fake ID, no bribing. Just a quick flash of a smile and a twist of my hair lets me in. I'm useful that way. How did you think I forced Jem into the club?"

"I thought you used a fake ID." Tessa admitted, taking a gulp of her water that the server had just set down. Jem smiled fondly at Tessa's sheepishness, opening up the menu and studying the options. Glancing around the restaurant, there was another group of Englanders close by, staring at Jem who was next to Tessa. Turning back to Jem, she leaned towards him slightly, her voice low. "Those people are staring at you, you know? Do they know you?"

"Probably not." Jem said, not taking his eyes off of the menu. "I'm used to it."

"Why?"

"Look around you, Tess. How many other people who are Asian have you seen in London? Though I don't look that Asian at all, I still look awfully strange...no, foreign to most born-and-raised English people. Plus, add in silver streaks and eyes and people have no idea what to think of me. Trust me, Magnus and I have always gotten the stares...though Magnus hardly ever leaves his apartment for anything except for school."

"Which just shows how many people are so close minded." Cecily remarked, putting the tip of her pinky between her front teeth and chewing on her nail slightly. "Don't worry James, if anyone says anything about your strangeness, I shall proceed to beat the living crap out of them."

"Cecily." Jem sighed, looking sideways at her. "One, I am not incapable of protecting myself. Two, I am not easily shaken nor hurt. Three, you're sounding to sound like your brother. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing."

"Oh, it depends on how you look at it. Besides, if he comes home and he's dead, it's hardly my fault." Cecily said, waving the server to their seats. The young woman came back over, a pen and notepad held in her hand. She looked up, looking almost dazed as she stared into Cecily's eyes, her smile slipping and her pupils contracting to a small dot. "So, we'd all like a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Let it breath for a minute, will you?"

The server just nodded, her stare almost hypnotic and blank. Scribbling it down on her notepad, she walked away and into the bar, pouring their drinks and setting them down onto the table with robotic, jerky motions. Taking her glass, Tessa looked down at it, narrowing her eyes. "What was that ll about? How did you get it without her asking for ID's?"

"Let's just say," Cecily said carefully, picking up her glass and raising the glass rim to her lips, "that persuasion can be quite...magical."

"Cecily." Gabriel said in a warning tone, his hand tightening around her wrist. Cecily just gave him a small kiss on his cheek, laying her head against him. Putting his arm around her and pushing her hair out of the way, Tessa thought about how she had never seen Gabriel as affectionate as he seemed now. Taking an experimental mouthful of her wine, Tessa swallowed it slowly. It was light, crisp, acidic, and...different, but not as bad as she thought it would be. Jem was sipping his glass thoughtfully, scanning the view with interest.

"See anything you recognize?" Tessa asked, squinting to see the tiny buildings in the distance.

Jem pointed in one direction towards an old building in the distance, rising elegantly out of the mass of gray businesses and houses. "That's Saint Paul's Cathedral. I went there one time because Will wanted to...explore. He enjoys getting us lost. He's quite the peculiar one, but he's smart and always knows how to get us back even if it takes us half the night to do so."

"Oh. I've never been there. It seems lovely though."

"It is. It is a must see place for tourists. Old, but as you said, lovely." Jem smiled absent mindedly, setting his glass down. The server came back up to them, giving a polite cough for attention.

"Something for you?"

Jem hesitated. "I think I'll have..."

**Author's Note: Yeah. I'm not going to explain their dinner. That's much too boring and I have plans for them. (Sorry James!)**


	29. Red Wine Silver Drug Black Room

"...And then I was trying to float a rock in the Lake Talyllyn when I was...four, or five? I don't remember." Cecily laughed, taking another swig of her wine. "And then, after so many tries, Will came up to me and asked me why I was trying to float a rock and I just remember taking the stone and throwing at him as hard as I could. I was young so I didn't make much damage, but he had a bruise on his arm for weeks."

"He's told me that one before, I think." Jem said fondly, grinning. "I was quite the unruly child."

"No, you weren't James. You were prissy and proper and had all the manners of a gentleman by the age of ten. You were raised on politeness and ate discipline for breakfast and gave compliments for Christmas. Don't tell me that _you_, out of everyone here, were the unruly one."

"I was...a bit. Not as much as you, but I was quite careless. There was this enormous tree in our backyard, and I would always climb it so I could play my violin, but one day, the cat followed me up and it startled me-"

"And then you fell?" Tessa asked, leaning into their conversation.

"No. I was hanging off the branches yelling dreadfully for my father when he walked into the backyard and, upon seeing me in the tree, he just went back inside and I spent the entire night in the tree, sitting in the branches because I was too scared to go back down." Jem reminisced, a hint of a smile and a grimace, which Tessa considered ironic, on his mouth. "It was awful. I've never cared for spiders. I don't think anyone does."

"I don't mind spiders." Gabriel said, shrugging.

"Well, that's because you're a worm." Jem pointed out, unable to resist making a 'Will remark' when it was such a perfect situation.

"James!" Cecily said, trying to keep a frown on her face. She put her hands on her hips, a slight slur to her words. "You shouldn't be saying things like that. Naughty, naughty. Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"I'm feeling fine. It's you we should be worried about." Jem answered, gathering everyone's plates and stacking them in a neat pile as a different server came over and whisked the dirty plates away. She glanced up slightly, letting out a little gasp as his silvery eyes fixated on her. Her eyes went to the silvery streaks in her hair, looking at his discoloration in confusion, and slight curiosity.

"Is she staring at you, Jem?" Cecily asked, practically leaning over Gabriel's lap. "I told you. Stares equal me kicking butt. Just say the word and I'll be flying like a hawk, stinging like a bee, whacking her head off like a dull guillotine, ripping intestines out and making them into pasta, shov-"

"Yeah, Cecy. You're definitely drunk." Gabriel said, placing her correctly back into her seat. Cecily giggled, poking Gabriel in his side. Taking her glass of wine away, Gabriel sighed as Cecily stuck out her lip in a pout, crossing her arms. "Cecily, in this state, there is no way I'm giving it back to you. You've had more than enough and then some."

"I'm only a little drunk."

"I know, but you shouldn't have anymore."

"Diolch."

"What did she say?" Tessa asked in puzzlement, taking another small, hasty gulp of her wine which she didn't particularly enjoy as much as the rest of them.

"Probably thank you." Jem whispered, looking amusedly over at Cecily. "She has a very low tolerance. Don't worry, she won't be the one driving."

"I should hope not."

Picking up his glass, Jem took a sip of his drink. His grasp instantly tightened on the glass, bringing it down on the bar and almost cracking it. Stumbling backwards off his chair, he went over to Cecily, whispering something in her ear. The dizziness in her eyes faded away, fear replacing them. Her hand tightened around his wrist as she pulled herself up, reaching into her bag for something and saying something softly to him about some medicine. They retreated down into the dark recesses of the restaurant where it was dark and Tessa couldn't see them slip into the maintenance room using an opening rune.

A small pang of worry stung at Tessa's heart, worried that he might truly be sick. Looking at his glass of red wine, she was almost certain Cecily had gotten them all white wine. Then she saw the spots of dark red circling the mouth of the glass.

**~~ooo~~**

By now, Jem was trying furiously to not cough and was gripping his napkin feverishly to his mouth as Cecily tried to stop her hand from shaking as she poured the yin fen into a water cup she had received from the small Sparklett's water dispenser at the workers office. Shoving it into Jem's hand, she watched as he drank it down in one gulp, his breathing softening as he leaned against the wall. "James, I'm sorry. I thought today would be-"

"Don't be sorry, Cecily. I had a great time. It's just that sometimes...life gets through. You know what I mean?" Jem murmured, wiping his mouth on the napkin. "I had a wonderful time, so thank you."

"I just wish that I didn't drink so much and then I would have seen that you weren't well and I could have-"

"No." Jem laughed raggedly, his hand touching Cecily's cheek lightly. "Sometimes I can't tell when it's going to happen. I know it 'helps' me live, but I can't just help feeling like it would be so much easier if I stopped."

"James!"

"Cecy. So supportive as always." Jem remarked, smiling even though it was too dark to see. "You have been like a sister to me, though. I never had any siblings growing up, and now I have two."

"No. If I've disowned Will, does that still make me your sister?"

"It still does. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd be single for the rest of your life because you turn everyone down."

"Are we going to talk about that now while we're inside the maintenance room, because that would just be awful. We need to put you on an intervention show."

"Tried it, been there, done that, didn't work." Cecily said, drawing her stele from her bag. "We should go back out, though. We can't risk being seen together in a dark, enclosed space when we are both seeing other people."

"Cecily! There is _nothing _going on. For a moment, can you just quit it with the mushy gushy stuff."

Cecily just grinned, pressing the stele into the lock. "Tried it, been there, done that, didn't work."


	30. Then Leave

Tessa hadn't asked about the blood in his cup; she was obviously too worried about him to feel comfortable about asking what happened. After dropping Gabriel home, who had to be the driver because of Cecily's and Jem's situation, Jem took a sharp breath and took his place in the drivers seat. It was clear he was still in pain, but he covered it up with tentative smiles and small talk- one of the few traits that Will and Jem shared. When they had arrived back at the house, Cecily sulked inside, Will, who was unusually silent and out of character, going off to talk with his sister.

Jem swung the door open after her, bumping it open further so Tessa could come in. Heading to the kitchen, Tessa pulled out a water cup and filled it with water, sipping at it and relishing the cool water running down her throat. Sitting at one of the bar stools in the kitchen, Jem stared at her as she picked up a small, jade necklace from the counter, holding it up in the light. "Whose is this?"

"It was my mothers, but I inherited it when she was killed." Jem murmured, watching as Tessa ran her fingers over the smooth inscriptions, fascinated. She smiled, a slow sad one, but it was definitely an appreciative smile.

"It's beautiful."

"She loved it." Jem smiled as he caught sight of Tessa's, her expression sweet and genuine. He stood up, a sharp pain edging through his thoughts like a dagger. Pausing for a split second, he turned his head away from Tessa, ashamed. "I'm sorry about tonight. About leaving early. About everything."

"What are you apologizing for? It was your birthday. You're eighteen, James, you don't have to apologize to anyone now. Soon you're going to be twenty one, and then you won't need Cecily to do that hair flip and giggle her way into a drink. Then, you'll be able to get a drink using a _real _ID. Won't that be a surprise?" Tessa said. Jem laughed, a short surprised one that he realized wasn't forced like so many of the others. When he went to look back at her, a sharp cough went through him. He raised his arm, blood soaking through one sleeve of his jacket as he coughed. As he gripped the counter for balanced, a pair of arms went around him, helping him stay steady. However, when he looked up, his heart constricted.

It was his mother.

Raven black hair and bloodied hands reached for him. It's_ a hallucination. Side effect! Hallucination! Hallucination!_ Jem screamed inwardly to himself, tearing himself away from the pair of arms and gasping for air as he made his way to the other side of the room. Bringing his hand to his chest in surprise as his breath rattled dryly in his chest, more blood spilled from the corners of his mouth, splattering the floor. Fear engulfed him as the edges of his vision turned black, his hand clutching at the back of a chair. He sank to the ground, leaning against the wall in a sitting position, trying to catch his breath. Then, faintly, he began to hear a voice.

"James! James!" Tessa cried, kneeling down by him and squeezing his hand. Letting his eyes flutter closed, Jem took a deep breath, his nails digging into the wooden floors. Tessa was looking down at him, her eyes enormous and dark gray. "I'm going to go get Will and Cecily."

"No." Jem whispered, closing his hand around her wrist. "Please don't."

"Jem, you're coughing up _blood_. I'm not going to just sit here and do nothing."

Raising his fingertips to his mouth, they felt warm and sticky as they coated in blood. Cringing in disgust, Jem put his hand back down, opening his eyes slightly to look at Tessa. "Don't get them. It's nothing. I'm just...sick."

"What can I do?"

"You can go to bed. I will be fine. You can leave."

Tessa stood up, her hands held stiffly to her side. "You're telling me I can leave so I go away, aren't you?"

"You never worry if she is smarter than you: You know she is." A voice said behind them. Tessa turned around, seeing Will out of the corner of her eye. They refused to meet each others gazes as he went over to Jem. "The Fault in our Stars by John Greene. Hardly a good plot whatsoever. Cecily!"

"Don't quote that book." Tessa said, suddenly angry and defensive. "It's too sad and heavy."

"And I should care...why?" Will asked, glancing back as Cecily came into the room. Helping Jem up, he ushered him off with Cecily. Crossing over into the kitchen, Will turned on the faucet, wiping blood from his hands and retrieving a cloth from the cupboard and wetting it. He scrubbed flecks of blood from the counter, his eyes sheltered and barricaded from meeting hers as she stared at him. "Regretting breaking up with me?"

"No. Not at all." Tessa said, sharpening her tone. She glanced at the small, bloody smears on the floor, wincing. "What's wrong with Jem?"

"Nothing. He's perfectly fine." Will muttered tightly, the washcloth side darkening to a red.

"William. Why is he sick?"

"He's not sick, not severely anyway. It's minor, it's temporary and it's none of your business." Will said hurriedly, cleaning up the blood on the floor and keeping his stare downwards at his hands. Shouldering past Tessa and tossing the bloody cloth into a basket, he turned around, finally looking directly at her. "It's really nothing that you should be pressuring him into and it's nothing that you have the right of knowing."

"I'm tired of always being left in the dark, Will."

He walked past her, turning his head back and narrowing his eyes. "Then leave."


	31. Secret

"So, whose is she anyway?" Magnus asked, dragging his backpack on the floor unceremoniously as he followed Will and Jem. Swinging it up, Magnus slipped it on, wiping bits of dirt off his hands. "Come on, guys. News? Gossip? Anything?"

"Listen, Magnus. If you wanted gossip, you would have gone to Camille or Jessamine." Will said sourly, nearly preforming the death grip on Jem's wrist, who wasn't even flinching. "We aren't together, nor were we ever together."

"I'm just trying to get something to work with. The whole school has been wondering why _she _broke up with _you_."

"They know?"

"I'm a warlock, Will. There are things that I can see without magic. I know I may be a whatever year old warlock, but this is high school and I'm just trying for once to forget and act like a normal kid that I appear to be. I'm trying to forget." Magnus said, stopping in front of Will and crossing his arms. "I would suggest you do the same. There is no curse, and there was never any curse on you. After I graduate, I'm going to go back and continue to be that old, glittery, warlock guy that solves problems and hates Nephilim. This is my one year that I get to act my 'age'. You're still young. You shouldn't have so many problems."

"Should I go?" Jem inquired awkwardly, looking down at Will's hand gripping tightly around his wrist, probably bruising a purple bracelet into his skin. "I wouldn't want to ruin your little...conversation."

"No." Will said at the same time Magnus said "Yes." Jem gave Magnus a crookedly understanding smile, pulling away from Will's grasp and back into the throng of people at lunch. Will glared at Magnus, shooting daggers in his direction. "Why'd you send him off?"

"He didn't want to interfere with our talk. You're lucky you have such a patient parabatai who cares for Tessa as well."

"They're friends."

"Hmmph. Broaden your mind, Will. Your parabatai isn't going to need you to look after him forever. You will both be bonded, but you will grow more independent as time goes on." Magnus pointed out, gesturing with a jeweled hand. Will moved away in Jem's direction but Magnus held him back, a simple paralyzing spell on Will.

"You're not supposed to use magic here." Will said between gritted teeth. "I'm just going to James."

"Oh, leave him be." Cecily said, walking up behind Will and looking him over. "Magnus has got you under a spell, hasn't he, or you would have already been halfway across the school by now." She poked him, giggling. "We should keep you like this all the time, don't you think?"

Magnus smiled a catlike grin, tilting his head to the side. "I wouldn't want to make torturing him too easy for you, though, would I?"

**~~ooo~~**

"I want to know what is happening. What do you mean you can't tell me?" Tessa said quietly, pulling him behind the gym. A few girls back there looked startled, giving them both a mixture of rude, curious, envious, and sly glances before moving away from them. Jem gulped, looking down at Tessa uncomfortably.

"Look, I know that it's been hard for you being lied to and always having secrets being passed around to everyone besides you, but you have to trust me that I'm not allowed. I would tell you to ease your curiosity, but it's against the Law." Jem murmured, his eyes growing sympathetic. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes." Tessa said sourly, frowning. "It's Will I don't trust."

"He makes bad decisions and I can't force you to trust him, but he cares for you. He still does."

"I did to. It just isn't and wasn't going to work out. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yes. I understand." Jem whispered, glancing to the side. Sophie was staring at them, her hands clasped in front of her and her fingers fidgeting with each other uncomfortably. Gideon came up beside her, kissing her good cheek and studying her affectionately. Looking back at Tessa, Jem smiled softly. "Sophie's waiting for you. I think she has been staring at us for the past five minutes."

"I know. I'm happy she has Gideon. She is a good friend. Too bad so many girls shun her and discriminate her for that scar she has." Tessa said sadly, glancing over at Sophie. "Hey, whatever happens, even if you won't tell me, I'll still make sure you don't get mauled by Cecily and shipped off to a club, okay?"

Jem laughed, his silver eyes glittering. "Good luck with that. She's already created a list of things she wants to do with all of us."

"Mmph. I can't imagine what 'fun' it will be." Tessa said sarcastically. "What does it consist of? Decorating the house with pink studs?"

"Haha. That and many other terrible things such as going to the arcade room and spending five hours shooting digital zombies, go to the bowling alley until Will finally manages to beat one of us, going to a comedy club and trying to outsmart the comedian and shouting explicit things in French at the St. James Park. She has many more options, but I don't remember. I vaguely remember trying to block them out of my mind."

"At least Cecy is trying to find some...'fun' things to do. Paintball wasn't too bad, but it really-"

"Hurts. I know. It's awful feeling the first time around. You get accustomed to expecting the pain, but it still hurts."

Jumping as the bell rang, Tessa held her hand to her chest in surprise. "God, that surprised me. Well, I guess I'll see you afterschool then."

"Until then." Jem said as they walked away in different directions to their class.

**Author's Note: HEY! I HAVE HAD TOOOO MUCH COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE AND COOKIES AND CATS AND CRUMPETS AND CRACKERS! LOL! SO, WHILE I ABUSE THE CAPS LOCK OPTION, JESSA OR WESSA? I AM A TOTALLLLLLL JESSA BUT I WANT TO SEE WHO MY MAIN READERS ARE. :) I LIKE WILL ITS JUST THAT JEM IS SOO ADORBS. WOW. I AM TOTES SOUNDIN' LIKE A CLICHE TEENAGER GIRL. **

**IT MUST BE THE COOKIES. LOL. AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE EITHER, PICK UR FAVORITE SHIP WHETHER IT IS COLLINWOOD, HERONWORM (LOL. I MADE THAT SHIP FOR CECY AND GABE.) FAREWELL (MY EDITED SHIP NAME FOR CHARLOTTE AND HENRY) OR ASPARAGUS...THAT LAST ONE IS IN THE SELECTION SERIES...NOT THE TID SERIES. LOLLOLOLOLOLOLOL.**

**SORRY FOR THE ABSOLUTE CRAZIIIIINESSSS. AHHH. DON'T FORGET TO R&R AND ANSWER THE QUESTION. JESSA OR WESSA? (PICK JESSA!) **


	32. I'm Not Sorry

Walking over to Jem's desk, Tessa ran her hand along the top of the box, unclasping the little metal contraption that held the box closed. Tentatively opening the box that holds Jem's violin, Tessa made a small exhale of admiration. Putting it in her lap, she sat down on the floor, cross legged as Jem knelt down beside her. Smiling slightly, Tessa ran her thumb across the polished side if the violin. "It's very pretty. So is your playing."

"Thank you. I've had it for as long as I can remember. I've always played it." Jem said softly, looking at his violin with great gravity. Tessa snapped the lid back closed, setting it carefully beside her. Squinting, Tessa stood up, pulling a book from the stack of papers on his desk and holding it up.

"What do we have here? James?" Tessa said incredulously, looking at the cover. "You're reading a novel for fun? And a good one at that. _Armadale _is my favorite of Collins. I'm surprised you have taken to reading books rather than music."

Jem smiled, looking up at Tessa and shrugging. "I figured I would give it a try. Will has always raved about it."

Tessa's light expression slipped slightly as she slid the book back onto the desk. "It's a very good book." Opening the curtain to his room, Tessa leaned her head against the window frame, her eyes dark with hidden grief. "It's dark outside. I'm still not used to it being so dark so early. It's only around six, isn't it?"

"Around that time."

"Nate would always tell me about how London would be like a city of stars and bright lights. We loved to go up high in New York and just look down at the city and admire the way the buildings would light up like fireworks, and how the city square would be like a cube of neon lights rising out of the mass of houses and businesses." Tessa wiped at her eyes hastily, her hands clutching her arms. "I always thought he was the most wonderful brother. And then I found out the truth and-"

"Tessa." Jem said warningly, standing up and looking over her shoulder.

"I realized that it was all a lie. That he never loved anyone, that his soul was dark and rotten and cruel and loathed all of us. I didn't know my Aunt sent me here because she knew. I didn't know that she knew he would kill her and then go after me." Tessa's voice was shaky, her gray eyes wet and misty like a swirling London storm. Staring out into the distance, Tessa choked back tears. "If I had known, then I could have done something about it. I could have-"

"Tessa." Jem said again, moving beside her and looking lightly at her with a measured gaze. "You couldn't have known. It was not your fault."

"But I could have paid closer attention and seen that he was not the brother I was used to knowing."

"_Tessa._" Jem repeated, not knowing what to say.

Tessa's bit at her lip, her voice rising in anger and hurt and a swirl of other emotions. "Nate turned into a horrid monster and I wasn't sure whether it was him or my ignorance that held me back from-" Her voice cracked. "And then he died. He's dead and he's never coming back but he was bad and he is dead."

"Tessa." And it was the first time Jem saw Tessa truly cry when she went to turn around and pressed her face into Jem's shoulder. In the midst of this second, his arms were around her, his hand stroking her hair and his whispers offering small words of comfort as she sobbed silently into his shoulder. Her fingers were tangled in the fabric of his jacket, pulling it taught as Jem held her close patiently and without complaint, just waiting for her to gradually fall silent. When she did, her hands were still grasped at his jacket, her tearstained face still rested on his shoulder.

Jem sat down on the floor, his arm still around her as she curled up against him. Her eyes were half closed, her mouth pressed together in a pained expression as she stared blankly in front of her. Finally, she squeezed her eyes shut, her body quivering slightly. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened, I just-"

"You don't have to say anything. I understand." Jem murmured, his hand clasped over her arm. "Loss is loss even if they present themselves in different ways. You have lost much. We have _all_ lost so much. It is only human to cry. I _am _sorry for your 'brother' though. He lost the most out of all of us; trust, family, friends, and his life. You cannot blame yourself, Tess." Tessa nodded almost imperceptibly, slowly sitting upright.

That was when Jem moved his face towards hers and kissed her.

At first, all he tasted was lavender and tears as he pressed his mouth hotly against hers, Tessa's hands tightening in his jacket. Though Jem considered himself at least mildly graceful, his hands were unsteady as he cupped her face, unsure if she was going to even respond after what had happened with Will. However, she didn't seem to mind his hesitant gesture, instead tangling one of her hands in his hair, her other hand gripping at the hem of his sleeve.

It was odd how the entangling of hands and the shared heat between them was almost torturously painful, but they stayed locked together in a feverish intertwining of fire and ashes. As they pulled apart for split moments in the sliver of a short second, freezing air stung at their skin like icy water.

He could hardly feel the hard floor beneath his hand that held him up as Tessa leaned down on him, her eyes stormy and sad and misted over as she stared at him. If eyes were truly windows to the soul, Tessa's looked broken and battered, but still repairable. Reaching forward, Jem balanced himself, bringing his mouth down on hers again as she brushed her thumb against his temple. His mouth lowered to her jaw where he could see her pulse beating erratically at her throat accompanied by the same paced heartbeat that he swore he could feel through the layers of clothing that separated them.

He never expected it to rise to the intensity of such a powerful, yet fragile moment, especially with someone like Tessa who preferred the cool, funny guys over kind, smart ones. But then again, there were many things he didn't know about her, though he liked to think otherwise. In the silence of that one second, Jem could feel her breathing hard against him, her fingers gently entwined in his hair and her chest rising and falling in synchronization with his.

Pushing away the thought that their situation was highly improper, Jem tilted her head up, brushing his mouth at the outline of her lips. His hand was set at the bare skin of her waist underneath her flowy sleep shirt, his fingertips brushing the warm, smooth skin of her side. He admired the way her eyelashes flew closed and she took a surprised gasp of breath as she shuddered in breathless delight.

Hiking her legs around him to rest on his hips, Tessa hooked a finger in the collar of his shirt. Jem pressed his hands to her back, kissing her in greater fervor and desperation. "James." The gray in her eyes was almost a ring, her pupil magnified and almost swallowing the stormy color in black. Jem figured his looked the same way.

"Tessa?" Jem said breathily, pulling away slightly. "I'm sorry if I was too forward-"

"No. We've said sorry too many times to each other when we have little to be sorry about. I am sorry about many things, James, but I am not sorry about this."

"By the Angel, Tess. Don't say that."

"Why not?"

"Because I have many things to be sorry about. I am sorry about realizing that I loved you while you and Will were still together, I am sorry about breaking my parabatai when I was angered, I am sorry for not saving my parents, I am sorry about your brother, your loss, and many other countless things that I cannot even fathom saying out loud." Jem choked out, lowering his gaze. "I don't know what to do now, Tess."

"Someone once told me that the moment before dawn is always the darkest." Tessa said quietly, brushing hair from his face. Jem cracked a small smile, pulling her down and curling his arm around her waist. Tessa twisted around and kissed his cheek. "You know we are still on the floor, right?"

Jem grinned into her back. "I know."


	33. Taken

"It's beautiful." Tessa gasped quietly, her gray eyes widening as she ran her hand over the glass case. Her mouth was set in a small smile as she stared at the rows and rows of ancient books, gathering dust and their pages yellowing with phenolic acids. She stopped at one bookshelf, her eyes scanning the titles as she mouthed them softly under her breath as if she were tasting their names. "I didn't think that such old copies of these books still existed. There are even some Tennyson poetry books and of course, there's _Romeo and Juliet_ and _The_ Odyssey."

"I was hoping you would like it. After all,-" Jem broke off his sentence when he realized he was going to say that Will loves it and he adores books like she does. That situation was still...touchy. "After all, I know you do love books." Jem finished before realizing how utterly stupid and obvious it sounded. Tessa seemed to not mind and moved next to him, still looking around in wonder.

"Yes. I had always heard about the Westminster Abbey and I had always wanted to go there, but I never thought that I would actually get to go. It is a lot harder to get into here than I thought, though. Such specific hours and times."

"Yes. There were only week appointments."

"Well, this is much better than Calculus." Tessa whispered with amusement, reminding them both of how Gideon and Jem, though both dedicated math loathers, had managed to put to shame even the best students in the school.

"Math is not my forte."

"Liar."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Jem smiled slightly, hooking his pinky through hers until their hands were clasped together, an event that they both liked to think happened on accident. When she looked up at him, he was glad she at least looked content and most of all, trusting. Pulling out his phone and clicking it on, his smiled slipped. "I think our time is almost up, plus I got a text from...Never mind."

"You what?"

"Nothing. Homework, violin performance, language arts project, and the sorts. Apparently, the school has never heard of free time on the weekdays. I'm assuming we'll both be plenty busy with Calculus after we get back."

"Mr. Penhallow is an awful teacher." Tessa remarked as they exited the old library, tipping the reconstruction foundation as they left. The air outside was heavy with fog and smelled like early afternoon rain that was sure to pummel them as soon as it turned twelve. London had always been that drizzly, misty place where, if you weren't used to the thin silt that hung in the air or the feel of the humidity slicking across the back of your neck, you weren't a real 'Londoner'.

For Tessa, growing up in New York had prepared her for the enormous buildings, factory and cigarette smoke, side-of-the-road trash, bustling crowds, and the never-ending chatter that seemed to buzz through the London community, she had never entirely been a person for rain. Rain got things wet, rain made book pages get soggy, rain made books tear; Tessa hated the rain.

"It's going to rain soon." Jem pointed out, his tone light as always.

"I know." Tessa grumbled, looking up sourly at the sky.

"Don't like the rain?"

"Nope. Do you?"

"I don't mind it." Jem sighed, opening the door to the car and shrugging. He slipped inside, starting the car once Tessa had gotten into the passengers side. "I grew up in Shanghai for a third of my life. It is hot, and humid, and overall, just horrifically disgusting in terms of the weather. London is a dream compared to China, though it does stay the same weather all year round. Shanghai had slightly more variation."

"Like what?"

"Well, for instance, it would be warm one day, and be excruciatingly hot the next. It would be mildly humid one day, and then the next day it would feel like you were walking in a sauna. It had much more variety...unfortunately it all was awful. I'd prefer London weather over Shanghai weather any day."

"New York's weather wasn't as extreme as it is here. It was cool and warm depending on the seasons and I guess it did rain, but not nearly as much as it rained here."

"...Do you miss New York?"

Tessa paused, her hand halfway to the seatbelt. "I...I guess. Yes, I do, but I've grown to like London I guess." _It's just not the same without my brother, my aunt, Will's 'friendship', normalcy, and my old friends. _Tessa thought for a moment before pushing it off, listening as the ever strengthening rain battered down at the car, drowning out her thoughts whether she tried to or not.

**~~ooo~~**

"Will, what was your text about?" Jem asked as he opened Will's door and went inside. Will looked up at him, his eyes dark. He looked unfazed, though there were long, bloody scratches down his bare arms, which bore numerous white lacings of healing runes. Jem let out a low whistle of disappointment. "Will, damn it. Why do you manage to get yourself into such _dangerous situations_?"

Looking up at Jem, Will seemed unusually quiet, his hands shaking and smeared with blood. "Until now, I realized that I had never seen him injured."

"Will? What are you talking about?" Jem asked, kneeling down by Will. "Does this have something to do with Marbas?"

"I had never expected that they bled red." Will said incredulously. The shadows beneath his eyes were dark, his hair mused, which would have been absolutely adorably messy if there wasn't so much blood. Jem opened his mouth to say something, but Will held up his hand. "It's not mine. Not the blood on my hands. It's his. It's his."

"Whose?"

"Marbas is getting his revenge." Will said bluntly in an eerily flat tone. "He took him before I could get to him. I tried to help him like how he had helped me, but they were gone."

"By the Angel." Jem breathed, his eyes widening. "The only person I can think of is-"

"Magnus." Will said. "Magnus was taken."


	34. Nothing is Impossible

**PLEASE READ! Author's Note: This one is going to be much longer than my normal chapters... And, just a reminded- the time is totally off so there will be variations of what happened in the book. Some scenes in the book were fit into AU. (Like Will seeing Marbas at the dance). Also, (IMPORTANT) I'm introducing a totally new villain into this series. She (we need more main female villains) will be more developed throughout the chapters.**

"Wake up!" Cecily said, shaking Jem's shoulder. He sighed, blinking open tired silvery eyes. His hair was completely disheveled and his overall slightness did nothing but help Jem look like a tall middle schooler. Cecily shook him again. "_Wake up!_ You fell asleep on the wall _again_ while we were supposed to be waiting for the Mundie to fall alseep! Will is about to play hero and go stupidly rescue Magnus by himself. Now, unless you want my brother and your parabatai slaughtered because we failed to kill Marbas, I suggest you get up before he's gone and dead in a sewer somewhere."

Jem stumbled up blindly to his feet, grabbing his seraph blade and sticking a stele into his weapons belt. "I'm coming. I'm coming. So, Tessa's asleep?"

"Yes, and that's why we need to go _now_."

"Where is Marbas?"

"I don't know, but Will managed to get one of Magnus's spell books, which I had no idea warlocks had, and he wants to use a tracking rune on it." Cecily muttered, tying her hair up in a ponytail and sticking a dagger into her boot. Grabbing Jem's wrist, she pulled him from the room and out onto their patio where he was greeted with Will scowling profusely at Gabriel and Gideon.

"You invited them?" Jem said, his tone blank of accusation, nor did it have relief in it. "I didn't know they knew about it."

"Cecily told me and my brother." Gideon said, who, frankly, was the more mature one of both sets of siblings. "We want to fight. We need to fight. Magnus is a warlock, but he cannot rescue himself and we have sworn to protect Downworlders. We're prepared."

"We need to track him and then go and see where Magnus is being kept." Cecily ordered. "Will...Will?"

Will was looking down at the spell book, his eyes darting from side to side beneath his eyelids. There was a tracking rune on the book, Will's stele clenched in his hand. Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open, turning to Cecily and pointing at her. "The Bishops Avenue...the derelict mansions..."

"I thought those were restored years ago? Which one?"

Hunching over slightly again, Will furrowed his eyebrows in concentration, his fingers digging into the soft leather on the cover. "...The Towers." The rune faded to a small imprint on the book as Will fished for more information. Tossing the book aside, he swore frustratedly in Welsh, trying to remember what other details he saw. "He's locked up in some shit palace of mold. I swear that Marbas bastard-"

"If Marbas is a bastard, where does that put you?" Gabriel snorted, a sneer imprinted on his face.

"This isn't the time to fight." Gideon hissed, narrowing his eyes. Turning to Jem and Cecily, he looked at them thoughtfully. "Couldn't we just use one of the Portals Henry invented to get there?"

"No." Jem said, disheartened. "Good plan, wouldn't work. Henry hasn't perfected it and we would need Magnus to work it. However, it would be a great plan if we had him."

"That would assume we wouldn't fizzle up, blow up, or incinerate whilst going through the Portal." Will muttered. "We would need a warlock; something we unfortunately need the Portal to find."

"What if we found another warlock?" Gideon asked, his green eyes growing sharp. He ran a hand through his sandy blond hair. "Perhaps a warlock that could help us activate the portal."

"Don't be rash. There aren't any other warlocks that could or would-"

"Actually." Cecily interrupted her brother, holding up a finger as if she were addressing a class. "There is one. One that Charlotte hired to check up on our family specifically when Will still thought he had the curse on him. Ragnor Fell."

Jem swallowed. "But he...How would we know Fell would help us? He's known to be quite irritable."

"Don't worry." Cecily said reassuringly. "He'll be more than happy to help us make the Portal."

**~~ooo~~**

"So, what you're saying," he swirled his straw in his drink sourly, "is that you want me to help you make a Portal?"

"We know you and Magnus were friends." Cecily pointed out, her smile withering.

"Correction," Ragnor grumbled, putting a hand in his stark white hair. "Catarina and I were friends. Catarina was friends with Magnus. I put up with Magnus. We were not close nor will we ever be if he keeps dating kids that don't even come close to his actual age. Plus he's done some other quite unsavory things that I refuse to mention."

"But you are our best chance at saving him." Cecily said adamantly, watching as Ragnor raised his drink to his mouth, sipping thoughtfully from his tropical colored straw. He glanced up at the dark sky, raising a white eyebrow.

"No. I'm not going to help you or your little Nephilim friends. I've seen what your kind do and it all brings ruin upon Downworlders." Ragnor spat grouchily, leaning back in his iron wrought chair. It hadn't been exactly smart to track him down at such a public bakery, but it had been the easiest. Wiping his fingertips, which were damp with condensation, onto his napkin, he sighed. "You're wasting your time. I don't like helping Nephilim if I'm not paid. The only reason why I helped keep an eye on you Herondale brats is because I was paid and Charlotte has power. I am not a dog to be called upon."

"So you wouldn't even help your own kind. You would leave Magnus to die just because you don't like _us_?" Gideon pressured, leaning forward onto the table. He gave Ragnor a measured look, his green eyes the same shade of the warlock's skin. "We made a vow that if Magnus helped us return to the mundane world and live in the regular society, we would protect him. We vowed to protect him, as a Downworlder, because he has done more for us than you could ever do for us in your entire lifetime."

"You don't understand." Cecily said, her temper rising. "If we don't get Magnus back, Marbas could use him against us. He's a very...persuasive demon."

Ragnor stood up. "Are you doubting his allegiance to the Downworlders? Are you saying he will join the demons who have infiltrated our blood with their filth?"

"Not willingly, but we all sense there is something bigger than this. Bigger than all of us. Demons from the past have come to taunt us again." Jem said quietly, his silvery eyes glinting. "Marbas from Will's past and my sickness has resurfaced. What if there is someone more powerful under this all? What if we are all to be corrupted? That goes for you as well, Ragnor. In exchange for helping us create a Portal, we will offer you protection."

Tilting his head thoughtfully to the side, Ragnor scratched the neckline of his shirt. "You drive a hard bargain, young Nephilim, but it is not your protection I want but my relief from your company. I have been under the command of the Nephilim for too long. I will create your portal and, in exchange, you and your kind leave me alone."

"Deal." Gideon said, holding out his hand. Ragnor took it, the extra joints in the warlock's fingers feeling strange and foreign under his own skin. Turning to the rest of the group, he released Ragnor's hand. "Well now, we have ourselves a warlock."

**~~ooo~~**

"I really don't feel comfortable sending all the Institute kids off to fight this battle." Charlotte said, looking worriedly as her husband moved eagerly to create the Portal. They were in the basement, hardly the place to create a Portal, but the only place where it would go undiscovered. She pushed mousy brown hair behind her ear, biting at her lip, making her look younger. "It worries me. They're young."

"So were you when you first started." Ragnor said, his expression remaining indifferent. "I've just come to preform some magic, not get involved with such confusing political and emotional worries. However, I will advise you on this one thing, Mrs. Branwell. People grow up especially fast when one is mortal. They will not be kids forever. They are young and stupid, but time must shape them. It has shaped you as well. Am I correct?"

"It seems so." Charlotte crossed her arms. Will was busy muttering something to Cecily about how Gabriel would sabotage the entire operation while Henry was busy setting some runed mechanical device up in the corner. Jem and Gideon were standing at the sidelines, their guarded eyes and unsure stares showing that they obviously didn't expect the Portal to work. It had been a last minute thing, but Henry was mostly capable and all hoped he would succeed just like the first time.

"I guess this is where I come in, is it?" Ragnor said, stepping forward. Unlike Magnus, the sparks that flew from his fingertips were a multitude of green, white and grey, forming into small pixelated cubes mid air.

"That's not what Magnus did." Cecily cried, holding up her hands to stop him.

"Ah," Ragnor gave a small grin, the only time most people had seen him smile. "But I am not Magnus, am I? You see, I do not do the little whirls and tricks Magnus does. I specialize in more...three dimensional magic. Each warlock has their strength." Twirling his finger and generating more of the strange glowing cubes, he shot them forward, hitting the mechanical device and pinning it against the wall.

The runes Henry had etched into the sides crept up the wall, forming a glowing archway as the strange swirls interlaced with one another. New runes started to appear, green ones that had small squares and interlinks. As if the room had imploded, the air seemed to suck into the archway, glowing brighter and bright. Soon, the wall under the arch had turned a bright glassy green. The surface rippled as the room settled back again, energy seemingly buzzing through the air.

"It's absolutely lovely!" Henry said happily, marveling at the newly created Portal.

"You're saying that we have to go through _that_? It looks more like Church's barf than some magical Portal." Will said, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Ever so ungrateful." Ragnor pouted. "Don't forget our bargain. Oh, and be cautious. It might not work the same way as Magnus's Portal."

"What?" Cecily looked over at Ragnor, her eyes filled with puzzlement. "How are we supposed to get there then?"

"You see," Ragnor said, walking over to the Portal and tapping the surface. "You cannot simply think where you are going, but the destination must be set like an oven warmed to a certain temperature. Set it wrong, and you could be lost forever."

"Now I'm definitely not going in there." Will snapped angrily. "It's not fair that _his _Portal might get _us _lost."

Reaching in, Ragnor shot a row of sparks into the Portal. "Where is this place that you need to go to?" He asked, his arm still submerged in the gleaming green liquid.

"The mansions on Bishop's Avenue. The Towers." Gabriel said, ignoring a glare from Will. "That's where Magnus is."

"I see. So, with enough precision, I should be able to set your destination...however, once I set it, that destination cannot be changed and once everyone who has gone through the Portal comes back, it will self destruct. I would hate for anyone to make me set it to the wrong destination." Ragnor said, his hand glowing as he closed his eyes. The Portal started to shift colors until it landed on a particular scene. When Ragnor turned to look at them, it was as if he was jerked back into the Portal, vanishing.

"Crap." Gideon muttered, looking at the Portal. "And thus, Ragnor has just unwillingly invited himself into our adventure. Well, there's no point in wasting time, is there?" Moving forward, he jumped in, disappearing once he had broken the surface. The others, save for Henry and Charlotte, followed suit, grimacing as they held their breath and were pulled into the swirling glass.

They landed on the top of a staircase, the smell of rot instantly filling their noses. Will coughed, burying his face in his sleeve and using his other hand to help Jem up. Ragnor, who was looking quite exasperated. He looked around. "Shit. The Portal works right on contact."

"I think we figured that one out." Gabriel said, looking at the Portal that they had come from.

"Might as well just stick together once we find Magnus." Ragnor frowned, flexing his hand, which was glowing green.

"So you'll help us?" Cecily inquired.

"No. I'm going to make sure your sorry selves don't get killed by a demon. I don't like Nephilim, but I hate demons more. Come on. Let's get a move on." Ragnor ordered, hurrying up the moldy staircase. The wood was cracking and damp beneath their hands as they held onto the railings for balance. Hissing in pain as splinters of wood imbedded themselves into Gabriel's fingertips, he hastily pulled them out, wincing as beads of blood welled up on his skin.

He glanced over at Cecily, who was boldly in front, her gloved hand wrapping around the hilt of a dagger. She looked especially pretty since she had forgotten about her makeup and instead just had simple gear on. Her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, curling down her back as she ran. Gabriel drew himself from his thoughts, trying to focus on what they would do when they found Magnus rather than thinking of all the reasons Cecily was particularly pretty today.

Pulling a witchlight from his belt, Gabriel ducked underneath a fallen beam and into a room. It was eerily silent, the cobwebs and layers of mildew covering and eating away at the once white paint. There was a grunt from the other side of the room. Snapping his head up, Gabriel hurried to the hidden parts of the room, looking around hastily. "Guys!" He called back. "I heard something in here."

"I didn't think you would actually come back." A voice said, yellow-green eyes glinting at Gabriel through the darkness. As Gabriel raised his witchlight, he could make out the outline of Magnus's head, tilted upwards. Though he was unmoving, his head was tilted upwards, his eyes slightly narrowed, giving him the appearance of the proud warlock he was. Despite the fact that it did not look like he was trapped at all or restrained in any way, Magnus made no move to join Gabriel. Looking slowly in Gabriel's direction, his mouth twitched downwards. "I was doing perfectly fine on my own."

"Admit it, Magnus. You needed us and you were waiting for a certain handsome someone to rescue you from this disastrous fate like a knight after his damsel in distress." Will announced arrogantly, striding into the room.

"If that's the case, I see you've come unprepared."

"Where is that Marbas bastard? I swear he's going to die this time." Will snarled, looking around.

Magnus let out a wheezy laugh, his cat eyes glimmering with false mirth. "It shouldn't be Marbas you're worried about."

"Can you just come over here?" Ragnor said. "I don't wish to go that deep into such a dump and it's quite hard to hear you when you mumble."

"Ah, I would." Magnus said, looking down at himself. "But I can't." He raised his hands, showing them black gloves that were secured tightly around his wrists. "You see, I've tried getting them off and they don't weaken. They block my magic. I've tried and I'm stuck. You need to leave. Marbas is no longer first priority, William. You need to leave."

"Not before we get you." Cecily said, walking forward. Suddenly, she hit something hard and she stumbled back. Her hand was singed like how the railroad tracks, that she and Jem had tracked Marbas on, had burned her legs. Reaching forward again, there was a loud crackle of electricity through the air again, Cecily's glove smoking. "What is this-"

"Told you." Magnus said. "You all need to leave. There's someone here and she's more powerful than any warlock I've seen."

"What do you mean?" Ragnor asked, suddenly curious. "What type of warlock?"

"You know how each warlock tends to specialize in a type of magic? Like how you specialize in three dimensional illusions and Catarina is immaculate at healing?" Magnus glanced at the hallway next to him. "She's powerful. Too powerful to just be demon and human."

"What do you mean?" Gideon asked, his grip tightening on his seraph blade.

"It makes sense." Jem said before Magnus could answer. "It all makes sense why my illness is back, Marbas is back from the Void, and these mansions are still unoccupied. Cecily said earlier how they had been restored...and they had. I remember. The only thing that would make sense would be for this new warlock to have-"

"Time manipulation." Magnus finished.

"That's impossible." Will said incredulously.

"Nothing," A female voice said behind them, soft and crooning, "is ever impossible, little Nephilim."


	35. Turn Back Time

"You see," A slim, pale figure stepped out of the dark, her eyes a pearly silver color as she stared at the group of Nephilim. "I should be impossible, and yet here I am." She smiled coldly, her blindingly white teeth sharpened to points. Her hair was a multitude of colors, black and red streaked with silver and pale blue. "I see you've found my dear Magnus. We've only just met, but he is such a peculiar warlock."

"What are you?" Gideon asked, staring in confusion at the warlock.

"I'm different. I'm a warlock, but not entirely. There are others on this...mundane world that are mixes that shouldn't be possible. I am one of a kind. Part faerie, part demon, part...mutation."

"Yeah, that's definitely impossible." Will snarled, raising his seraph blade. "Am I supposed to come in here and expect some random lady to be some all-powerful warlock?"

"Yes." Turning to Magnus, she put the tip of her pinky into her mouth. "Now, what to do with you? I would just love to let you go and have them watch as their lives turn to living hell, but it would be so much more fun to let you be a part of it. Don't you think, my dear Magnus? And I see the Nephilim have brought a friend. Ragnor, was it? I overheard some of their conversations but I was trying to keep my distance so I wouldn't interrupt your poor, little expedition."

"We haven't disobeyed the Accords so it gives you no right to harm us Nephilim or Downworlders." Cecily said, her hand pulling at the fabric of Gabriel's sleeve. "Let Magnus go and we'll leave you in peace."

"No. There are two things that I need, and I'm not leaving you alone without getting them." She snapped, her tone sharpening.

"Oh, to hell with this." Will snapped his hand forward, letting his dagger fly and piecing her in the chest. Blood as red as rubies sprung from her chest, soaking the material under it. She let out a strained gasp, wrapping her hand around the hilt and pulling it out. With a painful hiss, she let the dagger clatter to the floor as she twitched her hand. The blood that had flowered at her chest seemed to be in reverse, sinking back into the wound and healing her skin without a scar.

"You see, fools," She laughed breathily, her lip curled in a sneer, "you can't kill me. As Magnus did say, I have time manipulation. With a quick reverse of time, it practically never happened. It really is quite that simple."

Stepping forward, Gideon held his seraph blade in front of him as if it offered him protection against her. "We don't want trouble with your kind. Just. Let. Magnus. Go. Or we will make you."

She flourished her hand. "I'd like to see you try."

"What Will said. To hell with this." Swirling his hand, Ragnor shot green plasma cubes in her direction. With a flash of silver sparks, she blacked them, stepping back as the fallen cubes rained to the floor and vanished as they hit the floor. Slashing his seraph blade forward, Gideon grazed her arm and watched as the blood, mid fall, rose back up and her arm healed. Standing next to his brother protectively, Gabriel shoved his longsword into her side but doubled over as the back of her hand snapped across his cheek. Letting out a shriek of anger, Cecily dove forward with her dagger in her hand.

Dodging the girl with ease, the female warlock grinned as Cecily slammed into the wall, leaving her dazed. Letting out a burst of silver embers, they shot across the room. The silver haired boy had taken his stance next to the blue eyed boy, his eyes both fierce and soft at the same time. _Determination to protect his Nephilim friend_, she assumed, cocking her head to the side. The silvery boy threw a dagger at her, but as she blocked it, it imbedded itself into her hand. She had grown used to time manipulation and healing, though the pain still was sharp as ever.

"Don't hurt him!" Cecily pleaded as the warlock advanced towards her brother. "Please, don't hurt him."

Turning around, the warlock put her hands on her knees as if she were addressing a small child. "And what's stopping me? Your friends?" She looked down at Gabriel who was kneeling next to his brother. Gideon was clearly unconscious, his eyes moving quickly behind his eyelids. Though Ragnor was conscious, two long scratches ran across his cheek, bleeding heavily onto the floor and down his neck.

Agony ran down her spine as a seraph blade sank through her back, the blade visible in front. Putting her hands on the tip of the blade, she sucked in a ragged gasp. Glancing behind her, she saw the blue eyed boy with his hands shoving down in the hilt, the blade disappearing into her back. Pulling away hard, the blade gave way, ripping itself out and clattering onto the floor. Turning around with sudden speed, she shoved the boy against the wall, her sharpened nails digging into his throat. His eyes were wide with fear and pain as she clenched down harder, her nails breaking the skin.

"Will!" Cecily screamed, stumbling to rise to her feet.

"You see, little girl." The warlock said through gritted teeth. She was breathing hard, her wound slowly, but surely, closing up in front of their very eyes. "This is what happens to people when they disobey me." Shoving her hand upwards, her nails buried in her chest, blood soaking the tips of them. He gasped for air, blood gurgling out of his mouth as he sank to the floor.

The silver haired boy screamed aloud, clutching his chest and collapsing to the floor. He scrabbled over to Will, cradling his head in his arms and whispering soft words in Mandarin in Will's ear. Blood seemed to cover the front of both of their shirts, both of them in pain. "Will? Will?" The silver boy said, his eyes widening. "Damn it, Will." He cried angrily, his breath shortening to horrified inhalations of air. Looking back at the warlock, his voice was edged with rage. "Turn back the time. Turn it back."

She smiled, putting her hand on her hip. "That depends. What will you do for me?"


	36. Safe

"But I won't ever forget how it feels." Jem said quietly, his eyes glassy and his fingertips digging into Will's jacket. "I won't ever forget what it felt like to see you die. She might have turned back time, but those are memories I will never forget, Will. It hurts more than I thought, like a knife sawing my heart in half and the darkness snatching away half of it. You have to come back, William. You have to, you have to, you have to." Closing his eyes, Jem bit at his bottom lip, his hand grasping Will's.

"Where is she?" Will rasped, his eyes fluttering open. Cecily flung herself forward, hugging her brother. He shrank away from her, his blue eyes blazing with anger. "Where is that warlock?"

"Will. We all saw you _die_." Cecily said, wiping away frightened tears that ran down her face. "Can you at least respect that we might want a little bit of time not thinking about her because she _killed _you. You died, Will, and we thought she wasn't going to heal you. God damn it, you could be dead right now."

"But I'm not." Will sucked in air, filling his aching lungs with oxygen. "Where did she go?"

"We had to make a deal, Will. Or else you would be dead." Cecily clutched onto her brother's jacket, pulling him up into a sitting position. "Aetas demands that we help her or else she'll turn time forward and you'll die again."

"Aetas? That _bitch_ has a name?" Will laughed humorlessly, his eyes cold and hard. "And a Latin name that means time, period of life, age, year, or moment depending on how you look at it. How disgustingly fitting." Forcing himself to his feet, Will gripped the wall for support, a phantom ache still throbbing in his chest. Helping Will stay balanced, Jem was by his parabatai's side, his eyes still wide with shock. Gideon was already conscious, standing next to his brother and clenching his seraph blade in his hand though the female warlock, Aetas, was gone. However, Magnus and Ragnor were no where to be seen.

Limping to the Portal, Gideon went through, his brother following him down the staircase. Cecily tugged at Will's sleeve, pulling him down the stairs and through the Portal. They were greeted by Charlotte's and Henry's eager faces, but they were instantly filled with worry once they noticed Ragnor's absence.

"Where is he?" Charlotte asked.

"There's someone out there." Jem explained, his silver eyes flat. "A time manipulating warlock. She has Magnus and Ragnor. We tried to kill her but she killed Will and then she turned back time and brought Will back. Now she wants us to help her and...I'm not making any sense, am I?"

"I can explain." Gabriel said, stepping forward.

"But you went unconscious."

"I still know details and it looks like you all need a break. I don't want you all to push yourselves harder than you already have." Exchanging knowing looks with Cecily, she nodded slightly, pecking him on the cheek before leaving the room. Jem and Will followed her, though Gideon stayed with his brother to talk to Charlotte.

**~~ooo~~**

Jem didn't know why, but he was feeling awfully strange. Though he wasn't tired at all, despite the usual lassitude his illness forced upon him, he still felt run down. He had changed into a new change of normal clothes just in case they were called out by Charlotte again. He didn't want to be unprepared for any unexpected events.

Cecily had forced Will to go sleep, deeming him too unfit to stay awake through the rest of the night. Though it was amusing to watch the way Cecily managed and convinced Will, Jem's mind was still replaying Will's death over and over again. His parabatai had _died._ Walking slowly down the hall, Jem lowered his eyes to the floor, his hand rising instinctively to the parabatai rune that was always hidden by the hem of his shirt.

"James?" A voice said behind him. He turned around, seeing Tessa peering outside her door. Her hair was rumpled and her grey eyes were dark with exhaustion. "What are you doing up at this time? It's three in the morning."

Forcing a smile, Jem shrugged. "I could say the same to you."

"I had a bad dream. I couldn't sleep." Tessa yawned, pushing her hair back. "Are you going somewhere?"

"...No." Jem said hesitantly, looking behind him. "I'm not. I just didn't feel like sleeping. Listen, Tessa, I need to talk to you."

"Yes?"

"Preferably not in the hall. Charlotte's going to throw a fit if she realizes I'm not asleep. Though she has been good to all of us, she often forgets that we're not little anymore." Jem lied, trying to keep a fond lightness in his voice. "There's something I need you to know."

Stepping back, Tessa moved aside so he could come in, closing the door behind them. Looking at him with gravity, she tilted her head to the side. "What is it?"

"Look, there have been some bad things going on in our area." Jem swallowed, looking down worriedly at her. "Magnus is gone...And so is Ragnor-"

"Ragnor?"

"Some other friend of Magnus's. But I just want to make sure that you stay safe. I don't want anything bad to happen especially since what happened tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Never mind."

"Jem." Tessa took his wrist, her fingers running lightly against his skin. "What happened tonight?"

Pausing, Jem looked away for a split second, his eyes narrowing. "Tonight, I was out with Will and we were attacked by someone. No one got...hurt, but I just don't want anything to happen that could endanger you." He closed his eyes slightly, trying to hide the anxiety that he was sure was apparent on his face. "There's someone running the streets at night. Just...be careful."

"That's awful. Are people searching for them?"

"Yes, but it will be difficult." Jem murmured, his eyes nearly a silver luminescent in the dark. "But we will keep looking. I just need to know that you'll say something if you notice anything strange. I would hate for something to happen to you. Okay?"

"Okay." Tessa smiled, her finger's braceleting his wrist. "Oh, God. Why does this remind me of _The Fault in our Stars_?"


	37. Sickness is Power

**~~Five Days Later~~**

"I'm starting to think they were empty threats." Will muttered, laying back on his bed and grabbing a book from his nightstand. Opening it to the first page, he scanned it before tossing it across the room. "There haven't been anymore disappearances since then and she hasn't paid us a visit. The question is, what does she want?"

"We don't know." Cecily said, sitting cross-legged on her brother's chair. The scare over Will's 'death' had passed and they were all trying their hardest to try and not let recent events tear them apart. She smiled slightly, plucking loose strings from the pillow clasped in her hands. "I'm just trying to be thankful that no one else actually got killed...or that they weren't dead permanently, but it is unnerving that she would do such a thing and then just disappear. She's up to no good."

"I've never heard of a combination like hers. It just sounds like a load of crap to me."

"Well...It could be possible. Faeries can have children. They have been rumored to be half demon half angel, so if bred with another demon, that could give them powers. Especially if that demon is a powerful one. She also said she was mutated-"

"How can we trust anything she says?"

"We can't." Cecily admitted, sighing. "But we have to make some progress. If she truly is mutated, then it could be the source of her power. Say for instance, she has a control center and all the magic is 'stored' there. Time manipulation is practically impossible to inherit naturally. Sickness and heavenly fire can make you go crazy, but make you crazy powerful."

"That sounds just stupid. If she were that powerful, then she wouldn't need our help."

"But, what if it were something she couldn't obtain herself? What if something is stopping her?"

Will covered his eyes with a pillow, rolling over and groaning. "I'm absolutely sick of talking about this shit."

"In Raziel's name!" Cecily bolted upright, her mouth an O with shock and surprise. "Will! You're a genius-"

"Yes. I know I am, though it does get quite old when people have to keep acknowledging it from day to day-"

"Oh, shut up." Cecily snapped, narrowing her eyes. Clasping her hands together in front of her, she let out a strained breath. "But I know what she wants. By the Angel, I need to tell Charlotte. She wants us to help her find a cure, William. That's it! She's sick."

**~~ooo~~**

Tessa clutched at his jacket, staring up at Jem as he pushed her hair out of the way. "You haven't been going to class for the past few days. The teachers are starting to think you've been ditching. It's sort of hard for everyone to not notice that the best student in class has been gone for nearly the entire week."

"There have been...disturbances. Things I need to do and places I need to be."

"Any luck with Magnus?"

Jem sighed. "Not yet. I'm sorry. I didn't want to worry you."

"That's okay."

"And I'm definitely not the best student in class."

Tessa laughed, curving her arms around his neck. She pulled him down slightly, her lips next to his ear. "Liar. Just like when you say you're bad at math. I can see right through it, Jem. You can't hide that all your teachers secretly love you."

"If they did, that would be somewhat creepy." Jem cracked a grin, cupping Tessa's face and bringing his mouth down on hers. She smiled against his mouth, her hands tightening in his hair. Pressing one hand to her back, he could feel her chest rise and fall against his. Her hair had come undone from it's bun as it was now curling haphazardly down her back, tangling under his hand.

"James!" A chirpy voice said from the door. They broke apart quickly, whirling around to see Cecily in the doorway, her eyes wide and crazed. She darted inside, grabbing Jem by his wrists and whispering something furiously to him. "I need to tell Charlotte! I think I know a way to get Magnus and Ragnor back."

Jem had flushed slightly, exchanging awkward glances with Tessa. Looking down at Cecily, Jem nodded. "I'll be right there."

Releasing his wrists, Cecily pranced back to the doorway, sparing one glance at Jem and Tessa. "I knew it! I knew it! You guys looks so cute together! Don't tell Will. Where's Charlotte?"

Shrugging, Jem's eyes were wide, staring at Cecily paced in the small space in the doorway. "I don't know..." Turning back to Tessa, he took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. "Listen. I have to go." He tightened his hand around hers before pulling away reluctantly, moving to follow Cecily. She grabbed his arm as Jem walked out of Tessa's room, a slight red across his cheekbones.

"Are you going to tell Will?"

"What?"

"Well, it is his ex-girlfriend and he's your parabatai."

"We aren't together."

"That's what they all say. So what are you? Just extremely comfortable friends?"

"Then what about you and Gabriel?"

"We're together." Cecily said defiantly, sticking her nose in the air. She nudged Jem in the side, letting out a squeal in delight. "I can't believe it, James!"

"..."

"It's absolutely adorable!"

"..."

"James? Are you embarrassed?" She poked Jem again.

"Are you torturing my parabatai?" Will asked, walking into the main room. "I'd really hate for him to hold a personal vendetta against the Herondales because of something you keep doing. You know how vicious Jem can be." Jem couldn't help but smile slightly in amusement, watching as Will stole a scone from the kitchen plate and bit into it shamelessly. "Cecy is certain she knows how to find Aetas. She has a plan."

"Oh, by the Angel." Jem sighed, grimacing. "If your plans are as bad as I think they are, I swear Charlotte is never going to let us lead another expedition again."

"Don't worry." Cecily said, flashing a grin in Will's direction. "Will helped so it's probably perfectly safe."


	38. Gone

"If she truly is sick, then we would have to find a way to cure her. What she doesn't know is that by curing her, it would take away her power." Cecily pointed out, drawing a diagram on a chalkboard. "If we can figure out what is wrong with her, then we can take away the sickness."

"That seems almost too easy. I've been researching Aetas, but all I can find are bits and pieces of reasons she would want vengeance." Charlotte pushed her glasses up on her nose, staring at the piles of paper. "She's fairly young for a warlock from what I can tell, but has never really been out into the public eye until now. I read files of her in Brazil, Shanghai, Israel, California, and the Philippines."

"Shanghai?" Jem echoed, his eyes downcast. "She was in Shanghai?"

"Yes. At around the time you were there. However, that isn't the important part. What I read is that in 1992, she was the cause of the dispute over the Ninth Accords. The funny thing is, I've never heard of her causing trouble until now. She was just an uncharted Downworlder until that signing. Shadowhunters took her prisoner where she killed some guards and escaped. It says that she was tortured for information about the battles..." Charlotte narrowed her eyes, furrowing her eyebrows. "But this was after the torturing of Downworlders was made illegal."

"Shape shifting demons possibly?" Will suggested, biting at the end of his pencil.

Cecily shrugged. "It seems far fetched but-"

"Possible." Jem finished, putting the end of his pen on his lip. It was amusing how much Will and Jem looked alike in this one instance, both their legs crossed over the other, going the same way. Their hair was slightly in their eyes and their writing utensils rested at the corner of their mouths as they squinted in concentration. However, Jem definitely did not have blue eyes and Will did not have silver ones. Other than that...

"Is there something on my face?" Will asked sourly, glaring at Cecily. "You've been staring at me and Jem for the past few minutes." Both Jem and Will uncrossed their legs, resting one elbow on the table. Cecily snorted as if they had just proved her mental point.

"Boys!" Charlotte snapped.

Jem held up his hands in resignation, his eyes wide. "What did I do? I've just been sitting here."

"Will! Cecily!" Charlotte corrected herself.

"You're really quite helpful, James. A bloody saint as always." Will grumbled, scowling at Cecily. "I was starting to think that you had finally-" He let out a pained gasp, clutching his chest. Small dots of blood appeared through his shirt, but vanished as soon as they had become visible.

"Starting to miss me, dearies?" Aetas mewled, a sickly sweet smile on her face. She walked out of the dark over to Will, putting her hands on his shoulders. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me until I had seen the records of my history on the table. How charming." Her hair was no longer streaked with black or blue, but a mere red and silver, looking severe against her pale skin."

"What do you want?" Charlotte snapped, trying to hide the fear that rose in her eyes. Realizing they were all unarmed, she stood up, facing Aetas. "We don't want any trouble."

"That's what all you Nephilim tell us Downworlders, but you're all liars. Each and every one of you." Her silvery cat-like eyes skimmed the room, blazing with contempt. "Now, you're asking yourself, why us? You've done this before. You're the only one who can help."

"If we don't?" Cecily spat, her hands clenching into fists. "Just because we can't harm you doesn't mean we can't lock you up in the Clave cells."

"Oh, if I were you. I really wouldn't do that. Your brother is still susceptible to time change. It would be so easy." When she looked over at Jem, she narrowed her eyes, studying him in curiosity. "You don't want any trouble, you say? I'll make you a deal."

"Never."

"I think you'll want to hear what I have to say." Strolling over to Jem, she tilted her head. "Give me the boy, and I'll let your brother live. Or I can just take him by force and let the other die."

"James. Don't do it." Will said, his nails digging into the table. "I swear, we'll find a way around it."

"No. Actually, you won't." Jem said softly. "Look, Magnus and Ragnor could be there."

"Yeah. Locked up." Will hissed angrily.

"We got Ragnor and Magnus into this. We need to get them out of it." Jem murmured, shaking his head slowly. "We vowed-"

"Yeah, so? We vowed. Whatever."

"But I made one too. I choose to uphold my end even if you don't agree to yours. I'll be back soon, okay?" Turning to Cecily, he gave her a subtle, but knowing look. "If Tessa asks, it's a last minute plane ticket to Shanghai."

"Oh, enough with the sappy talks and chitchats." Aetas gave them all a quicksilver of a smile before grabbing his wrist and, in a shower of silver sparks, they were gone.

It was like falling down a dark, deep tunnel and a sharp cord like a rope tying him and Will pulled tight. This was the farthest they had been in a long time and his parabatai rune was burning with heat. He hit the floor unsteadily, wobbling slightly before balancing himself by grabbing onto a railing. He looked up, seeing Magnus and Ragnor on the other end of the stone prison. Magnus sighed, his cat eyes glittering in the dull light. "You too?"

"It was either I get taken and Will stays alive or I get taken and Will dies. What else could I do?" Jem sighed, rising to his feet.

"Ever so faithful to your parabatai. Do you know what she wants?" Magnus held up his hands. "The gloves are off but it doesn't help."

"Cecily has her suspicions." Jem explained, walking over to them. He looked around, the stone room closed up except for one door which they all assumed was locked. "I think I know what she wants."


	39. CRAPPY CHAPTER :)

"That's what all this is about. She's trying to find a cure." Jem said adamantly, ignoring the grouchy and puzzled stares from Ragnor. "Listen, what if she was sick and she could turn back time, but not enough to be cured. It would make sense. She had no problems with the Clave and the Shadowhunters until 1992, the signing of the Ninth Accords where the war broke out."

"Ahh, I remember that. We all blamed both sides but we found traces of demons affiliated with the dilemmas." Magnus muttered, examining his glittery rings. "But she's the daughter of some demon and the goddamned Seelie Queen. Why would she need out help specifically?"

"She said that you've done it before-"

"I've healed many people."

"Any incurable illnesses? She said-"

"She said, she said, she said." Ragnor groaned, his fingertips sparking with small, green pixelated cubes. "Am I the only one that thinks this is just too far fetched? Who cares if she was the daughter of the Seelie Queen? So, okay, she's higher in power. I'm part demon as well like she is. Maybe she's just an accident. There are screw ups in nature all the time. Hell, warlocks are examples of that."

"Do you have any other ideas?" Magnus asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Maybe she's just some psycho faerie-mutant who's angry at the Nephilim. Faeries have never liked warlocks nor Nephilim, so it would make sense that they are just getting revenge. Faeries are like that. They're bargainers, hagglers, thieves, and untrustworthy. Add more demon blood in there and it's a faerie from hell."

Resting his hand on the wall, Jem waited patiently as Ragnor and Magnus continued bickering. It had seemed that it was all they did for the past couple hours he had been there. Thankfully, they hadn't seen Aetas, but it had always felt like someone was watching them. The rock prison was quite...unsettling. Raising his head, Jem cleared his throat. "What if she has control over demons. No...Not demons, but the power to bring them back if they were killed after she was infected. Me and Yanluo and Will and Marbas all happened after 1992. That's why we didn't have any trouble because-"

"Before that, she didn't have her powers. Something that gave her the illness triggered something, like a chemical reaction." Magnus said, glaring at Ragnor who was giving him dagger-like glances. "That red headed fellow...What was his name? Harry?"

"Henry-"

"Henry is quite skilled in mechanical and chemical sciences, is he not? Brilliant, that man is. If I could just make a small gateway between here and him, we could talk and see if faerie blood could create any chemical reactions with demon illnesses or poisons."

"So, it would be like FaceTime?"

"What?"

"Never mind." Jem took his hand from off the wall, wiping his hair from his face. "If you can actually build this portal-like gateway, then-"

"What's on your face?"

Jem gave Magnus a quizzical look, wiping his face with his sleeve. "What did I do?" Looking at his hand, he took in a sharp breath. "By the Angel." Turning to the wall, he swiped a finger across it, looking at the thin layer of silvery dust that sprinkled lightly on his fingertips. "Cecily was right. She was right."

Ragnor mirrored Jem's previous look of puzzlement. "About what?"

"It makes sense."

"You're not making sense."

"Listen." Jem turned back to them, holding up his hand. "Magnus previously noted that there were traces of demons. He also brought up that certain demon poisons could react in certain ways to faerie blood and conflicting demon blood. That's why she was in so many different places searching for a cure. That's why she is so adamant on us helping her because we're the only ones who have much experience with her illness."

"You're still not making any sense."

"This," Jem said, pointing to the silvery dust. "Is Yin Fen. I would recognize it anywhere. It can drive people mad, especially with people containing as much demon blood as she does."

"You're not mad. Well, all Nephilim are, but that's another situation entirely."

"I've only survived this long because I'm a Shadowhunter. I have angel blood. The demon blood mixes with the Yin Fen, creating some sort of chemical reaction and it messes with your neurological stability."

Magnus whistled. "And where did you learn that?"

Jem gave him a quick glance. "Chemistry class."

Ragnor narrowed his eyes. "So you're suggesting that she killed your parabatai...temporarily, and took us all hostage, just because she wants to find a cure?"

"I did say it drives people mad." Giving Ragnor a heavy stare, Jem tilted his head to the side. "You're immortal. All immortals are afraid of death, aren't they? If you were sick, you'd try to fix it. Anyone would, but she's gone crazy. The Yin Fen will do to her what it did to me, though."

"And that will be what?"

"It'll leave her system and she'll get sicker and saner until she dies. I've seen the silver in her. I cannot help but pity her."

**~~ooo~~**

_Tessa screamed, agony ripping through her body as she clutched onto Will. She couldn't help but hate him, but in that moment, she was all she had. The wind was searing as it whipped around her, cutting away at her flesh and shaping her. Her hands were trembling and bloody, smearing red stains on Will's jacket. A deep throbbing in her head pounded in her skull, rendering her senseless to the world around her._

_And then she could feel nothing under her hands but the dry, gritty air battering them. Will was gone and the ground vanished beneath her. And then she was falling and falling, calmly and soundlessly, into the dark._

Tessa awoke with a start, snapping her eyes open and blinking blearily at the light that suffocated her room. Pushing herself up to a sitting position, she yawned, reaching for a glass of water. Bringing the cup to her dry and cracked lips, she sipped, mistaking the damp smears of blood on her fingertips for condensation.

**Author's Note: Hey, KenzieAnn04. Don't worry, I'm trying to get past this fast since I just realized how much I hated writing these past few chapters so prepare for Crapter Chapters. It's just going to be very weird and just plain awful.**


	40. Powerless

Aetas leaned against her desk. Before her sickness, her hair had been black and lilac, thanks to her faerie blood, but now it was laden with silver and red. Memories started to trickled back to her as she coughed, each drop of blood representing something taken away from her. There was a woman with ocean blue eyes and red hair, holding her and staring with neither affection nor disgust but utter flatness. Then there was a hateful, smartly dressed demon, with sharp teeth, wiry hair, pale skin, and cat-like eyes much like her own. Except hers were silver.

It had all started at the Accords where she had attended the signing, trying to find solace from the wrath of her father. There were demons, lots of them, and that was the one time in her one hundred year long life that she had wished that she had died. The pain was intense, but she bore it with dignity until that too had been stripped away from her.

She coughed again, blood splattering the wall and dripping down the stone, staining it. She had given up hope after traveling for so long. She had given up the thought that she would live until she saw the silver boy. There was always something odd in the way he moved and the way he spoke. There was humility and thoughtfulness that laced it, like someone who had known death, seen death, and almost experienced it themselves. When he had walked by her, she had seen the ever permanent silver flecks that were circling his pupils and in that moment, she knew hope again.

Though her illness had given her time manipulation, strengthening her already obtained powers of magic, she could not unwind herself enough to undo the illness. The silver boy had been cured once, perhaps they could do it again.

It had been an odd thing to watch as your life crumbled apart in front of your own eyes as the poisons took control, seizing her health and then her mind. To be insane was to not be in control, but she was almost powerless to stop it. Now the blood had swirled in with the silver, reminding her of the ever draining time that she had. Gathering her skirts behind her, she stormed to the room, swinging the stone door open.

"How did you cure him?" Aetas demanded, pointing at the silver boy. The glittery warlock, Magnus as she was told, raised his chin, his pride clearly evident.

"We know what's wrong with you. It's what happened to him. He never was cured."

"I turned his illness back so you would help." Aetas snapped, her nails scraping the stone wall as she whirled around to face the green warlock, Ragnor. "I can make him healthy again, but I need to know how you made him better." A trickle of blood ran down her mouth, dripping down her chin. Wiping it away, she looked wildly around. "I need to know how he got cured."

"It was a last ditch effort and it wouldn't work on you." The silver boy said, backing away. He lowered his head slightly, looking up at her in submission. "I know what you've been through, but doing this won't help any of us."

"I could just kill your parabatai again-"

"Don't you threaten him." Magnus snarled, snapping a spray of blue sparks in her direction. They hit her arm, searing bloody welts into her skin. In a few moments, the skin was healed again, her eyes glittering with pain. Magnus twitched his hand to the side, a burst like a wave pushing her back. Ragnor shot green beams in her direction, which she dodged and ducked underneath.

She doubled over suddenly, heaving and coughing blood up onto the ground. Now, it was more silver than red, running under her fingertips and on her hands. Lifting her head, she narrowed her cat eyes. "I need the cure."

Magnus raised an eyebrow. "Evidently." Shooting another spike of blue sparks at her, she raised her hand, covering her face. Silvery blood ran down her pale arms and dripped onto her dress. Scrunching up her hand, she bore through the pain, watching as the blood crept back into the small gashes. However, there was a block and the cut remained in her skin. Every time the blood ran into the wound, it would open up again, dripping down her arm.

"What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything."

Letting out a pained cry, she cradled her arm to her chest. The time reverse wasn't working. _Not enough of the poison?_ She guessed, pushing herself to her feet. Flicking her hand at them, weak silver sparks flowered at her fingertips, sailing a few feet before sizzling to ash midair. "You bastards! What did you do to me?"

Without answering, Magnus swirled his finger, lifting her up with an invisible hand and pinning her against the wall. Aetas gasped at the hard contact between her and the stone, her back slamming against it. Magnus tightened his hand. "I just burned you, but this...this is what I do to people who trap me and my friends."

Ragnor scowled. "I'm not your friend nor do I ever forgive you for letting that bloody werewolf destroy my house."

Aetas smiled slightly, her pointed teeth, her hands scrabbling at her neck. "I really wouldn't do this, my dear Magnus."

"Give me one reason to not." Magnus said between gritted teeth, his cat eyes narrowing to slits.

"Because," She said raggedly as the force on her neck grew tighter, "you wouldn't dare kill your sister, would you?"


	41. She'll be Back

**Sorry they have been like crap so it will be like awful.**

**I regret making a new villain. I suck at writing her and writing in general. Well, damn.**

"Hey, you alright?" Cecily asked, walking out into the dining room. She stretched out her arms, yawning, trying to cover up the apparent anxiousness in her expression. Sitting down next to Tessa, Cecily cocked her head. "You've been awfully quiet."

"I guess so." Tessa yawned, resting her chin on her hand. "I had a weird dream last night."

"Ohh." Cecily smushed closer next to her. "What was it?"

"Dude. I'm not going to tell you."

"Did it involve anything pervy, then? Dreams about the box I gave you for your birthday?"

Tessa gave her a horrified look, her gray eyes wide. "...No." She sputtered finally, raising an eyebrow. "Where's Jem? He's normally up by now."

Cecily looked away from her, her eyes darkening with worry. "He's...He is on a last minute trip..."

"Oh." Tessa said, unconvinced. Suddenly, she brought her hand to her face, pressing it under her nose. Small drops of blood stained her fingertips, drying on her skin. "Uggh. Nosebleed." She muttered, tipping her head back. Standing up, she fumbled for a napkin on the counter, cupping it around her nose and trying to get the blood to stop. It soaked through the tin napkin, but the flow was lessened to a small, bloody trickle.

"Hey, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah." Tessa figured she shouldn't tell Cecily about the weirdly vivid dreams or the strange blackouts she had been having. Maybe it was better to stay silent instead. "It's just a nosebleed."

**~~ooo~~**

Magnus loosened his 'phantom' grip on Aetas, his cat eyes narrowing. He could feel his heart begin to pound harder in his chest, a slight shortness to his breath. She couldn't actually be his sister, could she? "Liar."

"No." She rasped, catching her breath and sinking to the floor. "You know I'm not lying. You're just choosing ignorance, Magnus Bane." She looked up at him and then, and only then, did Magnus realize that their warlock mark were the same. _Cat eyes, except hers are silver. How could I be so indescribably stupid? _Magnus told himself mentally, parts of him still refusing to accept that he was not the only living warlock that bore Asmodeus as their father.

"That's impossible. In all of the four hundred years I have been alive on this earth, I've never met anyone who could be a relative or even believe that _he _was my father."

"Your pride and arrogance has blinded you. Did you think you were the only one with Asmodeus's blood running through their veins?"

Magnus let out a breath of air that sounded like a hiss. "I am not prideful of the demon blood in me. I have pride because I have worked to be who I am today. But you, you are nothing like me. You're a killer."

"And you wouldn't have done the same to save yourself?"

"Of course not."

Ragnor shuffled his feet, staring skeptically at Magnus. "That's a surprise."

"I'm full of surprises." Magnus said, a slight twitch in his expression. Turning back to Aetas, he swirled his hand, lifting her off the floor and watching as she studied him with a sneer in her lip. Running his hand through his hair, Magnus looked down at her, his eyes glittering with hatred. "You're not my sister. Blood does not mean we are family. You will never be welcome."

"Then," Aetas grinned, her teeth like bloodied fangs, "what do you plan to do with me? Kill me? Give me to your higher class government associations? Leave me for dead?"

"The Clave will handle you." Jem said finally. He hated politics and Aetas was just another one of the many reasons that reminded him that he did. "We don't want to get involved in anything that involves such...controversy."

"You could have helped." She shrugged slightly, her mouth curling up into a psychotic grin. "You could have done something about this injustice. You're supposed to protect our kind and instead you ridicule them and lock them up."

Magnus turned her around and faced her to the door. "Lift the spell."

"Can't you do it?" Ragnor sighed.

"It's a blood lock. It can only be undone by the person who enacted it. Lift it. Now."

"Why should I?" Aetas tapped her finger against the lock on the door.

"I could just force you."

"That would take your energy." She let out a short laugh, her eyes crazed. "But that doesn't matter. We're all going to die someday. Even the immortals." Jerking her hand awkwardly to the side, the lock shattered, a gleam of silver sparks falling to the floor with the fragments of metal. "There. Run if you will or take me away, but it can't change what I've already turned back. It can't change that the other blue demon is out alive and you," she pointed to Jem, "are going to suffer just as you did before. And then you'll die and the other one will be killed-"

"Oh, shut up." Ragnor said dryly, waving his hand and silencing her. Her mouth continued to move though no sound came out, Ragnor staring at her in exasperation. "Get us out of here Magnus."

"Because you can't get us out of here yourself?" Magnus inquired, raising an eyebrow. "Finally you admit you need my help."

"Just because I do doesn't mean I forgive you." Ragnor grumbled. Snapping his fingers, Magnus produced a shower of sparks around them and they were gone.

**~~ooo~~**

Consul Wayland raised his hand, trying to calm the room. The people in the amphitheater like seats were in uproar, arguing about which side they were on and who was wrong and who was right. The rage of voice filled the room, drowning out the Consul's angry shouts for order. "Nephilim. This is a court case, not a social gathering." He said impatiently. The room seemed to finally notice him, their voices dwindling to furious whispers. "Has the defense any more to say?"

Aetas tilted her head to the side, her eyes glaring profusely at the Consul. "Why ask what I have to say if you're just going to lock me up instead? They tell me you don't care about the Downworlders. The voices say you're bad."

A dark haired Shadowhunter stood up, his dull, brown eyes now sharpened with annoyance. "The defense has nothing more to say. There is no defense or rebuke for her side anyway. The choice is obvious."

She giggled, trying to move her hands which were cuffed by metal ringlets made by the Iron Sisters and imbued with that very same magic. "Ring around the rosie-"

The Consul cleared his throat. "I declare on this day that Aetas Renn charged on account of murdering a Nephilim, keeping hostages and meddling with dark magic," looking sideways at Aetas, Consul Wayland paused, "...does not meet the standards for the Clave jailing. She needs a doctor, not a prison-"

"Pocket full of posies-"

"She will get moved to the asylum where she will receive medical attention."

"Ashes ashes."

Two Shadowhunters moved to get her, each grabbing her arm and moving to lift her from her seat. "Up. We're on a tight schedule."

Glancing back at Jem and Will, Aetas smirked. "We all fall down."

Jem frowned, watching as she went without a fight with the Shadowhunters. "It doesn't make sense. It was easy...too easy."

Will shrugged. "I died. What else do you expect from me?"

"It felt too easy to get her. I have a feeling she'll be back."

"Sometimes," Will groaned, "Can you keep your feelings to yourself?"


	42. Can We Talk This Out?

Tessa avoided Will's gaze as she went into the kitchen, grabbing her papers and Cecily's bag from the counter. It was always awkward having to pass him knowing what transpired between them. Looking down, Tessa hastily walked from the kitchen, yelping when Will held her back. "Listen, Tessa."

"Will. Let me go." Tessa hissed between her teeth, holding her papers close to her chest.

"Tess. Look, I'm sorry about that night but it's been too long." Will said, staring at Tessa. She looked up at him, her eyes narrowing. Matching her with steady, blue eyes, Will held her line of sight, his expression flat. "Don't you think we've avoided one another for enough? Yeah, I get it, I screwed up, but there are things that just aren't mine to tell."

"That's what you always said. Why can't you just be honest? You always were until strange things started happening and just left." Tessa retorted, pulling away from him. "We had good times but I finally realized that it just wouldn't work."

"Tess-"

"I liked you, Will. A lot, but you just ruined that for me. And then I realized that while I was worrying about just being that average girl that you toss around like a disposable toy, it's not me. It's you." Tessa said, her voice lowering to a whisper. "There is no such thing as perfect, but there were so many complications that it was just too much. I can't take all the sincere moments or the kind words that suddenly turn into insults or jokes. I got tired of having no reliability."

"What else can I tell you?" Will asked, holding his hands up in incredulousness. His expression softened, his eyes no longer as cool. "If I could tell you what the hell is wrong with my life, I would, because it's a burden to keep from the other people that aren't like me. There have been times where I wanted nothing more than to explain why all this crazy shit has gone firing off in life, but I know that if I broke my word, it would end up even worse. Please, Tess. At least maybe we can just be friends."

"William. Please. Just don't."

"Can you just for once trust me?"

Tessa turned from him, her hand clutching around Cecily's bag and her papers, crinkling them. "I _did_ trust you." Moving to walk away, she felt a rush of cool air run over her skin. It prickled and it burned her chest as she walked further. Giving into the pain, she took in a shuddering breath, bending over and trying to regain herself. It felt as if her skin was being ripped apart as she moved, her mouth letting out a distant shriek as a throb of pain pulsed in her head. Faintly, she felt Will's arms go around her as she fell, softening her blow as she crumpled to the floor.

The pain was intense. This was one of the few times Tessa wanted to go unconscious, but her body wouldn't succumb to the numbness of sleep. Dropping the items in her hand, they fell on the ground beside her. She wanted to pull herself from Will's grasp but she had lost control over her body, hanging limply as if she really were unconscious with her head supported by his arm.

"Oh my God, Tessa." Cecily cried, rushing into the room. She stared down at Tessa, her blue eyes enormous. "Are you alright?"

Swallowing the agony, Tessa tried to move her mouth, the pain slowly starting to drain away. Sitting up straight and gasping for air, Tessa coughed, the world swirling around her. "I don't know what happened."

"Are you feeling alright?" Cecily asked, putting her hand on Tessa's forehead. It was hot and burning against Tessa's skin, feeling like brands of fire had been laid across her body. Flinching, Tessa pulled away.

"I'm okay...What happened?"

"You...You just- I don't know." Will said, confusion apparent on his face. "You just sounded like you were having a baby."

Without meaning to, Tessa snorted, most of the pain ebbing away into nothingness. "I'm sure you've had much experience with that." Pushing herself up, Tessa wobbled unsteadily on her feet, a headache starting to form. "I...I think I just need to go and rest. Maybe sleep. I don't know." Tessa mumbled, grabbing her papers and heading to her room.

"Hey!" Cecily called after her. "If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask. We can make Will your personal servant today. Tessa smiled at Cecily for a split second, turning the corner and into the hallway. Cecily and Will exchanged puzzled glances. "What was that about?" Queried Cecily, crossing her arms.

"The power of my handsomeness is getting utterly dangerous and powerful. Surely the Angel must be punishing us for my infractions." Will said in a matter-of-fact voice, his tone edged with humor and arrogance. "I've caused many girls to swoon, but none of them have screamed that loud when their ovaries exploded."

"You're gross and ovaries don't explode. Tessa still sort of hates you."

"No. We talked today."

"Mmhmm." Cecily murmured, her eyebrow raised in a skeptical expression. "About what?"

"If I wanted to tell you, I would have already told you. Nothing important anyway."

"Are you guys all made up or something over your argument? It's been over like five weeks...or six weeks. I'm not sure."

"No ones getting back together and all that crap. We just talked and that's it."

"Oh. Okay." Cecily said, nudging him slightly before sashaying over to the hallway. She paused, turning back her head and giving him a small smile. "By the way, Jem is a much better liar than you will ever be. Just thought you should know."


	43. Rain

"But I'm fine. I think it was just a really, really bad supersonic migraine." Tessa groaned, her fingers rubbing at her temples. Jem put his hands in his pockets, looking up at the dark sky. Reaching her fingertips into her jacket pocket, Tessa pulled out her phone, clicking her tongue when she saw the time. "It's past midnight already. I didn't think it was that late. Tomorrow at school-"

"Tomorrow's Saturday." Jem grinned with amusement in the dark, the silhouette of shapes on the desolate street outlined only in bits and strings of reflective light. "Unless you want to go to school tomorrow."

"Good gracious, no. I'm already so behind." Tessa murmured, glancing over at Jem. Looking at her, Jem could barely see the gray of her eyes, little pinpricks of light reflected off of them. "You've missed so much school and classes have been going by so fast. How are you going to catch up?"

"I'm not sure. I will somehow."

"Why were you in Shanghai? Cecily said it was last minute."

Jem stilled for a moment, his breath caught in a sharp pause. "...Family matters. The house is still there and the estate has been taken over by another family but, um, there were some family matters that came up and-"

"I was scared. Cecily sounded scared." Tessa said. "I'm happy that Magnus is back, though."

"Yeah. He's fine. We're all fine. Cecily was just nervous that something was the matter but nothing was wrong. Just...legal and family decisions and what not." Jem sighed. He hated lying to Tessa but he was forced to by the Clave. When they had all tried to go fit in, they promised that they wouldn't tell any mundane about the Shadow World. "I just hope you're going to be fine. Things like that aren't normal."

"I'll go to the doctor's or something." Tessa shrugged, her fingers twisting at the cuff of her jacket. She smiled slightly, turning around to face him. "You worry too much."

"I know." Jem cringed when something sharp pelted down at him. Holding out his hand, his sleeve was immediately dampened, his hand wet with falling rain. "It seems as if every time I go out at night, it starts raining. London just never seems to cease raining, especially when I'm walking out on the streets with no umbrella."

Tessa laughed. "I told you that it was going to rain and yet, you refused to get an umbrella." She pulled her hair back as the rain left shining streaks on her skin.

"I'm a Londoner. We don't use umbrella's." Jem's mouth twitched upwards at the corners, ignoring the fact that it was pouring around them.

"So what about that one night on the bridge when it rained. You seemed bothered by it then."

"It was cold and it was windy. Not a good combination. I don't mind it right now too much, though. I guess I'm used to it." Jem looked back at where the house was, sighing when it looked like it was halfway across England. Taking Tessa's hand, Jem laced his fingers with hers, walking slowly into the direction of the house. Glancing up to the foggy sky, he winced when rain pelted down on his face. "Ow. It rained on my eye."

"Well, Jem. If you haven't noticed, it's raining. When you look up at a raining sky with your eyes open, there will probably be rain that will go in your eye." Tessa said sarcastically, leaning her head against his shoulder. She squeezed his hand, his silver ring creating indents in her finger. "Unless you have some sort of rain shield, which I doubt you have, you won't get rain in your eye."

"My eye hurts now. Someone needs to invent an invisible rain shield."

"Or we can get a sign that says: Do not look upwards at the sky when it is raining because Jem tried it and realized that he is not rainproof. Now his eye hurts."

"That would probably be less expensive." Jem's hair looked almost black because of the shadows outside and the fact that it was damp. His eyes were eerily bright, though, reflecting off nonexistent street lamps though the world around both of them was dark. Ducking under an overhang, Tessa sat down on a bench which, thankfully, was dry although she was not. Sitting down beside her, Jem stared out into the street, which was now glistening in newly fallen rain. "Are you tired?"

"No." Tessa said, though a stifled yawn belied her words. "Okay. Maybe a little, but I'm fine."

"We can go back if you want."

"No. It's fine." Pulling her legs up onto the bench, she scooted around, turning to him. "Jem."

"Tessa, what is it?"

"I want to ask you something about you and if you don't want to say anything, that's fine, but I'm just worried." Tessa said slowly, her eyes flitting down to her hands. "But about your birthday night at the end, and when we came back to the house..."

"Yes?"

"And you were coughing and there was blood. Lots of it." Tessa started fidgeting with her hands again, her voice lowering almost inaudibly. "Are you sick?"

For a moment, Jem didn't know what to say, torn between making up a plausible excuse or refusing to answer. He swallowed, his anxiety showing more than he preferred. "I...I'm fine."

"You're not telling the truth, James. There is something wrong, isn't there?"

"Look, it's hard to explain-"

"So, you are sick." Tessa whispered, her voice shaky. Taking his wrist, she ran her thumb across his palm, watching as he closed his hand around hers. "What is it? What is wrong?"

"Tessa-"

"Please. Can you please just answer these, Jem? I know that you and Will and Cecily are hiding a lot from me, but I just want to know just what it is that is wrong. At least, even if it offers me no comfort, give me explanations instead. Is it serious?"

Closing his eyes slightly, Jem suddenly became aware of the cold air that chilled his skin and the wet raindrops sliding down his face. Drawing his hand from hers, his voice cracked. "It's serious." He looked away from her and off into the distance, not wanting to see the pained expression that had just begun to form. Her fingers were light as she brushed them against his cheekbone, turning his face back towards hers.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"...No. I have come to accept that long ago."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Because I didn't want you to look at me with pity as so many other people have."

"Sympathy is not always pity." Tilting her head up, she pressed her lips to his. His hand cupped the back of her neck, his fingers brushing gently against her slick skin. Pulling away, Tessa pushed back his hair from his face, giving him a slow, sad stare. "I, um...figured something was wrong after that night, but thank you, for telling me. It means a lot to me, James."

"You're different. I can trust you." Jem breathed, studying the way her eyelashes shimmered with small rain drops as she blinked and how her lips stayed parted slightly when she wasn't paying attention. "Tess."

"Jem?"

A hint of a smile crossed his mouth. "I do not want to rush things at all or appear forceful, but I hope it is not too soon to say that I love you."

"No." Tessa murmured, leaning forward and kissing him again. Despite everything, Tessa grinned. "No. Not too soon at all."


	44. Nothing's Wrong

Will flopped down on the couch lazily, laying his head over Jem's lap. Raking his hand nonchalantly through Will's unruly hair, Jem sighed, proceeding to prod Will softly in his side. "You've hardly done anything all day and you're exhausted. Something tells me that you've been becoming lazier and lazier as time goes on."

"I'm tired." Will mumbled, closing his eyes. "Be happy that you have been graced with my presence after...after...Never mind. I'm bored. I've read _The Moonstone _three times in the past week, books are making my eyes hurt, I don't like mornings to begin with, Cecily put a dried spider on my pillow and we are out of all the damned coffee. I'm not lazy. It's just that life sucks right now. I. Need. Coffee."

"Ahh, yes. Coffee." Jem smiled slightly, his fingers picking at a loose string that hung from the hem of Will's sleeve. "How could you possible be alive without coffee? It is such a detrimental part of a high schooler's life, and yet, somehow, I manage to survive without it."

"You're a perfect freak, James. Not all of us can be you."

"I didn't say to be me, but at least you could try doing something other than sleeping for a change even though you don't have coffee."

"I still want coffee." Will groaned, opening one eye to glare at Jem. "You, servant, go make me coffee."

"One, I'm not your servant." Jem said pointedly, poking Will as if to emphasize his statement. "Two, coffee is not entirely good for you even though you think that coffee is the mother of Raziel and three, as you said earlier, we don't have any coffee." Jem smiled crookedly as Will let out an exasperated and impatient string of mutters and curses about the importance of coffee and how Jem was his private servant. "No matter how hard you try to stay in a bad mood, Will, you'll end up getting bored and doing something anyway."

"I'm tired."

"Ahem. Stamina runes."

"I'm getting tired of wearing jackets all the freaking time. When it's as cold as the ninth circle of hell, I wear a jacket. When it feels like lava shit outside, I wear a jacket." Turning over, Will looked up at Jem, scowling. "What's wrong with some good old fashioned coffee?"

"If you want coffee, you're more than capable to drive yourself to a coffee shop or bakery."

"You're such a disloyal parabatai."

"Will-"

"Don't talk to me."

"If you-"

"Shut up. I'm asleep." Will said, stifling a laugh in his hand and digging his elbow into Jem's leg.

"My leg is asleep." Jem complained half-heartedly, twisting his finger in Will's hair. "You're hair is tangled."

"Thank you. I noticed that by all the hair pulling and sighs you've been doing up there. If you pull my hair out, I swear I will shave your head and your eyebrows off in your sleep." Will threatened, reaching his hand up and pushing Jem's away. "And then I will take your violin and burn it and make you wear Cecily's most scandalous clothes for the rest of all eternity. That's a very long time."

"You've already threatened me with that before. It doesn't work as well when you use the same intimidation tactic twice...It didn't work either times, by the way."

Skipping into the living room, Cecily grinned, her outfit clad with leather from her shoes to her jacket collar. Drawing a rune on her hand, she gave them a little wave. "Demon on the run. Gabriel and I are going to go kick it's ass. It feels good to finally be out in the fresh air again." Opening the door, she glided through it, clicking the door shut and locking it behind her.

"I'm going to kill that Lightworm bastard." Will snarled, his blue eyes blazing.

"Mmhmm. Sure. But you don't have your coffee."

"...Good point." Will yawned.

A loud buzzing startled Jem. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone and looking at the caller id. It was Tessa. _Of course_, Jem reminded himself. _She had her doctors appointment today._ Swiping his phone across the screen, he answered the call, putting the phone to his ear. "Hey. Yes. No...How did it go? So everything's fine?...That's good I guess, though I still wonder what happened. No, don't worry. I'm fine. You? Okay. Okay. I'll see you later. Okay, yeah. No...Mmhmm. Okay, bye." Turning the phone off, he slipped it back into his pocket.

"Who was that?" Will asked, his hand fumbling for Jem's pocket. Pushing his hand away, Jem paused.

"...No one."

"Yeah, right." Pinning Jem's wrist to the couch, Will slipped the phone from his pocket, holding it away from Jem. Clicking it back on, he flipped through the recent calls, pausing at the most recent ones. "Tessa called you. Why did she call you?"

"Nothing."

"Why?"

"Its nothi- She had a doctors appointment today to see if there was anything wrong because of yesterday. She told me about what happened." Jem admitted, snatching the phone from Will and sticking it back into his jacket pocket. "She said they didn't find anything though so that's good I think. My phone is almost dead."

"Oh, that reminds me. Can you go get my phone from the counter? I've been meaning to beat level 200 on Candy Crush. It's an awfully addicting game. Much better than Plants versus Zombies. I've heard of this new game called Call of Duty though. You get to kill stuff."

"Haven't we gone over that I'm not your servant?"

"Please?"

"Okay fine." Jem sighed, moving to stand up when he looked down. "But if you haven't noticed, you're still lying across my lap."


	45. Please Don't Stop

**This chapter was requested over PM by a user who wishes to remain anon: They wanted a smut chapter so yeah...I tried...I hope you like it...Oh Raziel...**

**Chapter Rated M.**

**Definitely M...**

"So, it was okay?"

"I'm going to be fine. He said that they couldn't find anything out of the ordinary."

"That's good, I guess...But then we get no explanations."

"I'm sure it was just a passing flu or something. I've been feeling a little under the weather, but nothing serious."

Opening her eyes, Tessa curled her arm around the pillow next to her, looking over at Jem. He was wide awake, his eyes glowing like silver coins as he stared at the ceiling, his expression serene. Slipping her hand into his, his hand tightened around wrist, his thumb brushing her wrist. Finally, after a few moments, he turned to look at her. "Are you sure you're going to be alright, Tess?"

"Yes. I think it was just a bug or something. I'll be fine." Leaning forward, she kissed him softly before resting her cheek against his chest. "I've got so many other things to worry about than some sort of odd incident; grades, school, you-"

"Don't. Don't waste that on me." Jem said softly, his fingers catching around her wrist.

"How could I not worry?" Tessa answered, pushing herself up and leaning over him. Tessa slanted her mouth down on his, her hand sliding into his hair. His eyes flitted closed in surprise, his hands moving to her waist and holding her side. He sat up, his breath stilling for a moment as Tessa moved her lips to his ear. "I always thought you were the worrier but now that I'm scared, Jem, I'm worried for you. I'm worried for your health and your safety."

"It is inevitable. Why worry over something that has only one ending?"

"Because I am afraid that I'll lose you." Tessa whispered. She opened her mouth to say more but Jem silenced her as he captured her lips again, fueled by laces of desperation. One hand tangled in her hair, the other pressing at the small of her back. Pulling away slightly, Jem smiled at her helplessly, a silvery veil of hair covering his eyes. Lifting her chin up delicately with one finger, he kissed her slowly, retreating slightly as she edged closer. He was hesitant as he slipped his hand beneath the hem of her tank top, edging it up her torso. She sank down into the bed, pulling him so he was propped over her.

His eyes were a sharp silver as he looked down at her, a small glimpse of incredulousness passing through his expression. "Perfect. You're perfect, Tessa." He breathed shyly, both of their faces flushed. Tessa reached upwards, undoing the buttons closest to his throat before moving onto the rest. His shirt was hanging loosely on his shoulders; shrugging it off so it landed beside them.

Tentatively, Jem pulled at her tank top, lifting it over her head and discarding it unceremoniously onto the floor. Jem blushed sheepishly, ducking his head down to hide the red in his face. Tessa raised her hand, running her finger lightly along something on his chest. Jem froze. "I didn't know you had tattoos." Tessa said with surprise clearly evident in her voice.

"I..." Jem tried to catch himself. "It's a rune. Just a symbol."

She smiled crookedly. "I like it." Running her hand down his side, she hooked her finger in the belt loop of his jeans, pulling him down so he was pressed against her. He was vaguely aware of her kicking off her shorts onto the floor to join her top, winding her legs over his hips. His hand was rested on a layer of fabric, scandalously close to the apex of her legs. "James?"

"Yes?"

She let out a breathy laugh. "What are we doing? We're _high schoolers._" Jem jerked back, his eyes widening.

"Tess, I didn't-"

"I never asked you to stop." Tessa said adamantly, curving her arms around his neck. Jem kissed her firmly, her mouth parting beneath his. She was sweet; her hands flattening on his shoulder blades. His hand brushed against the fabric between her thighs, her body shaking against his. Sliding his mouth from her lips to her jaw, he kissed her at the sensitive skin at her throat, nipping gently.

Tessa's legs tightened over his waist, pulling his hips down against hers. She arched her head back, panting and out of breath. With her nails digging into his back, she dragged them down, leaving scores across his skin; he didn't mind. Her fingers toyed at the button of his jeans, her finger tracing over his waistband and over his skin. In retaliation, he flicked his thumb over the thin fabric that his hand was rested on. She cried out, her hand darting down and grasping his hand, tightening her fingers around his wrist.

Edging his hand behind her back, he found a thin strap of fabric, his fingers pinching a plastic clasp. "Is this-"

Tessa nodded, watching slowly as Jem slipped her bra off her shoulders, pushing it to the floor. His face grew hot as he felt her chest press against his as he pushed his mouth against hers. He had never see so much of a girls body, even Cecily's, who used to strut around the house with only her undergarments on...but that was different. Dipping his head down, he sucked at her skin, leaving a small, blue bruise.

His hand travelled downwards again, his fingers moving teasingly across the fabric that separated skin from skin. It seemed as if a tremor racked through her body, leaving her gasping for air. She shuddered violently against him, her hips grinding against his. Jem let out a low groan, burying his face in Tessa's chest before moving back up to kiss her. Her eyes were enormous, a pale ring of gray encircling her pupil. Taking in a staggered breath, she craned her neck up to kiss him again. "Jem. I...I-"

"We can stop." Jem whispered simply, giving her a look of understanding.

"I'm confused. I'm seventeen and you're eighteen. It just seems so...young." Tessa murmured, reaching up to brush hair from his face. "But, inside, I know that I want it even if it's wrong."

"It's your choice, Tessa."

"How do you have so much restraint for a teenage boy?" Tessa asked, drawing him down. "I want this if you do."

"...I've never done-"

"And you're assuming I have?" Pulling at his jeans, she undid the button, her thumb rubbing against his hipbone. His grasp sought out the last of her clothing, his fingers drawing imaginary lines on the insides of her thighs. Hooking his finger on the fabric, he waited for her nod of consent before pulling it down her legs and onto the floor.

"By the Angel, Tessa." Jem gathered her against him. "_Nǐ hěn měi. Wǒ ài nǐ_"

Her eyes fluttered open. "What does that mean?"

"You are beautiful, Theresa Gray. I love you."

"I love you." Tessa said in a quiet, strained voice. "Now please, don't stop."

"Really?"

Tessa smiled. "Really."

**Author's Note: If you noticed, instead of Jem saying nǐ hěn piào liang, he says nǐ hěn měi because the first one mostly means you are pretty, but that sounds too shallow so I used nǐ hěn měi because it is the correct translation and better translation for you are beautiful though you could practically use either one.**


	46. Shock

Tessa never thought the box Cecily gave her would ever come in use.

She murmured Jem's name quietly in his ear as he held her. They had gotten redressed to a point afterwards, their nerves riled up and buzzing. Tessa smiled, her bare legs still wound around her waist though he was sitting upright. The rough edge of his jeans rubbed against her thighs, but she was too deliriously ecstatic to notice. Jem pressed his hands against her, running a finger down the middle of her back and sending little shockwaves down her spine.

Leaning forward, she pressed her mouth back to Jem's, relishing the way a satisfying burning sensation curled up in her stomach. Her bare skin brushed against his; little shivers of lingering and gentle caresses still reverberating in her mind. Her heart was still racing, matching it's pace with Jem's as she put her chin on her shoulder, her legs straddled around his. Jem smiled. "Oh, god, Tess."

"Jem." Tessa whispered, her hands slipping into the nonexistent space between them. "Thank you for this night."

"Tessa." The word came out as a groan as he rested his forehead in the crook of her neck, his hands holding her tighter. "How can I- It's just-...I can't-"

"Jem. Can you try to at least form one complete sentence?" Tessa asked teasingly, silencing his stutters with a quick peck on his lips. Jem gave a happy sigh of resignation, his hand sliding behind her head and kissing her firmly. Pulling away slightly, Tessa winced, putting her hand on her lower stomach. "Ow." She cringed. "My body aches. It hurts a bit when I move but I heard it can hurt for your first time."

Kissing her again but more gently this time, Jem pushed dark brown curls of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry."

"No. No more being sorry. It was my choice too." Tessa said softly, holding her finger up to his lips. She moved to push her mouth against his when suddenly, the door opened.

"Look, Jem, I know it's late but there is-" Will broke off as he looked up from his phone, staring at Jem and Tessa. It seemed as if time had frozen, all of them staring at each other in shock and horror. Tessa rolled off of Jem, grabbing a blanket and covering herself with it from Will's surprised expression. For once, Will seemed absolutely and utterly speechless at how to react, his sentences sounding much like Jem's had a few minutes before. "I- What the-...What is-...Jem?" Tessa and Jem were both silent, exchanging awkward glances as they stared at Will. He swore under his breath, his blue eyes unreadable as he closed the door.

Once the door had been shut again, Jem pulled his legs to his chest, burying his face into his knees. "By the Angel. I don't think I'll ever be able to face Will again after that moment."

Putting her hand on Jem's back, Tessa sighed. "You should go talk to him. It seemed like something important."

"I know I should..."

"But?"

"He's like my brother and he just walked in on-"

"Yeah...I noticed that." Tessa winced. "But still."

Getting up, Jem slipped on his shirt, heading for the door. "Fine. I'll go talk to him."

**~~ooo~~**

Will was still standing in the hallway, his blue eyes enormous and puzzled. When Jem slipped into the hall, Will turned to him, his phone still on in his hand. "James. What the hell was that?"

"Listen-"

"How do I even react to that?" Will asked incredulously, gesturing to Jem's room. "You've never dated a girl in your entire damned life and then you're all up and at it with her? You've always said that you'll wait until college or when you're older to get into that sort of thing-" Jem swallowed audibly, "-unless, in Raziel's name...You've already done that. You cheeky bastard."

"What does it matter? I don't ridicule you about all your love lives. Besides, I didn't know you would walk in and I didn't know you'd be angry."

"I'm not angry, it's just very, very unsettling to find my parabatai with my somewhat ex-girlfriend when no one ever knew they were together in the first place."

Jem lowered his eyes to the floor, fiddling his hands together. "Cecily knew. I didn't want to tell you yet."

"How long?"

"...Maybe over a month now. Around a week after...you and her sort of broke up." Jem flushed red, but was grateful for the low lighting in the hallway which made colors and lines blur together like water colors. "Look, Will, we might be parabatai, but this is my life and I make the choices. I would never deem your opinion obsolete, but in the end, they are my decisions."

"I know because if you took my advice on everything, your life would either be utopia or total crap."

Jem smiled crookedly and hesitantly, his face still burning with embarrassment. "Probably the second one. You did come in for a reason, though. What was it?"

"Demon at the bridge...but seeing as you're busy, Cecily called the Lightworm. I told her to just call both Lightworms to get it and hope it doesn't slip through their fingers because she already went on a demon hunt today, but she does insist."

"She doesn't listen to you anymore, Will. She's growing up."

"All the more reason to kill the Lightworm. I swear, if I find her and the Lightworm doing what you were doing, the situation would have ended very differently and there would be a dead body in the house that you would need to bury."

"Then let's hope," Jem said slowly and carefully, "that Cecily isn't also doing things behind your back...Just a thought."


	47. Shift

"It's getting worse." Tessa said, gritting her teeth in agony. Jem was by her side, helping her onto the couch. She winced, rubbing her temples as her head throbbed with a powerful headache. Cecily's bracelet around her wrist scratched her cheek as it brushed against her face, creating red marks across her cheeks. Kneeling by her side, Jem put the back of his hand to her forehead, hissing when her skin felt like fire against his.

"You're burning, Tess." Jem said, moving to get a cold washcloth from the kitchen. Grabbing a cloth, he ran it under cool water, handing it to her so she could hold it against her skin. "Wait here, I'm going to get the car keys so we can go to the emergency room." When Jem moved to get up, Tessa's fingers wound around his wrist.

"I don't want to go again." She said, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I'm just going to wait it out."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes..." Sighing, she fiddled feverishly with the bracelet, watching as the glassy beads caught light. Letting out a pained groan, Tessa buried her head in Jem's jacket, her hands tightening in the fabric. Cecily bounced cheerfully into the living room, her smile slipping when she saw Tessa.

"Is it happening again?" Cecily asked worriedly, staring at Tessa. "Is it bad?"

"I'm fine. I think," She took a sharp breath, "I want to go lie down." Grasping at his shoulder, she leaned on him as Jem led her to her room, his eyes glazed with anxiety and confusion. As Jem opened the door, she staggered into her bed, collapsing on the sheets. "Oh, god." She hissed, burying her head in the pillows. "It feels like someone is clawing in my head."

Standing at the doorway, Cecily smiled sympathetically. "Hey, you're going to be alright." She waved Jem over, her eyes dark. Squeezing Tessa's hand one more time before getting up, Jem walked to Cecily, pushing the door closed slightly. Crossing her arms, Cecily glanced back at Tessa's room. "Something is up with Tessa and I'm not sure what, but she...she doesn't realized that she's like Sophie."

Arching an eyebrow, Jem looked at Cecily, not knowing what she meant. "Like Sophie? What does Sophie have to do with this?"

Pulling up her sleeve, Cecily pointed to a rune that was laced around her forearm. "I'm glamoured right now and she saw right through it."

"She has the Sight?" Jem inquired, his eyes growing wider with surprise. "I didn't know. I would have thought that if I knew she had the Sight, we would have known by now." Lifting his sleeve to his mouth, he coughed slightly. Upon realizing that Cecily looked even more nervous, he held up his hand, stopping the train of words that he predicted she would say. "Don't worry. I'm fine, just dust in my throat."

"I hope so." Cecily sighed, looking at the time. "Will would have thrown a fit about you coughing. He told me about yesterday, by the way."

_Yesterday? Why would Will tell Cecily about it? I trusted that he would at least keep what occurred yesterday night a secret between us. _Jem gulped, looking down at his feet. "Yesterday? He told you what happened?"

"Of course he did." Cecily gave him a funny look. "He was glad the doctor didn't find anything wrong."

Relaxing his shoulders, Jem exhaled in relief, rubbing his hands together. "Oh, that. Yeah, the doctor said she's fine but as you can see-" Jem gestured at the door, "-she hasn't been feeling well. I'm concerned that something is wrong that isn't...mundane, if you understand what I mean." Cecily nodded, pushing the door open. Going inside, she sat by Tessa, looking more like Tessa's mother than her friend.

"Tessa. Are you feeling okay?"

"Cecy. I'm having the oddest sensations." Tessa murmured, her eyes half closed, only a ring of gray visible behind her lashes. "I feel strange."

"Well, you're sick."

"It's not that..." Tessa sat up, her hand pressed against her cheek. "It doesn't hurt but I just feel strange. I'm going to get some water."

"I'll get some." Jem offered.

"No, it's okay." Tessa insisted, stumbling up into a standing position. Walking unsteadily across the room, she held onto Jem's arm, her breathing coming in short pants of air. Trying to keep her balance, she reached up, grabbing a glass from the cupboard and filling it with ice and water. Raising it to her lips, she sipped at it, cooling her down. "I'm fine, Jem. Maybe I'm dehydrated. I feel better."

"Okay..." Jem said skeptically, sitting down at the table. Setting the glass down, Tessa leaned her hands and forehead against the fridge, closing her eyes and trying to choke down a wave of nausea that coiled in her stomach. Slowly, the pain started to come back, rippling across her skin and digging into her bones like a thousand fishhooks. Noticing Tessa's pained gasp of air, Cecily put her hand on her back, rubbing it.

Tessa let out a cry as there was an audible crack, her hair darkening and her bones shrinking and her skin growing a shade tanner. Her hands grew petite and thinner, matching the proportions that her body had become. Her shirt was looser, her jeans hanging low on her hips as she dug her nails into the wood, forcing a shriek of pain to lodge in her throat.

Cecily watched as Tessa turned around with a jerk, only to see a mirror image of herself in different clothes. Her words were caught in her throat as she stared at Tessa and not Tessa, a look of shock passing over her expression. "Oh, by the Angel, Tessa."

Jem gaped at Tessa, his silver eyes laced with incredulousness. "I didn't...How?"

Keeping Tessa under scrutiny, Cecily just stared. "Tessa, why didn't you tell us you were a shapeshifter?"


	48. You're a Downworlder

"Cecily." Tessa asked in Cecily's voice, her now blue eyes wide. "What are Shadowhunters?"

Looking at Tessa in a mixture of shock and confusion, Cecily, glanced back at Jem. "How do you know about that? When did you know about this?"

Tessa was breathing hard with crazed, panicked pants of air, her nails digging into the side of her cheek. "They're too much, they're too loud, Cecy." She let out a shuddering cry as the Change started twitching, her eyes flickering between ocean blue and steely gray. "So many memories, so many emotions, so many voices...They're too strong. Ella, demons, a curse; they're all too powerful."

"Tessa," Jem whispered, rising to his feet, "why didn't you tell me?" Reaching forward, he braceleted her wrist with his fingertips, but she ripped away from his grasp, fear clouding her expression.

"Oh my god, I'm...I'm so sorry, I-" Backing up, she moved towards the front door, her hand trying to find the doorknob. Managing to click it open, she tried to move as pain wrung at her body. She doubled over, her hands bracing herself above the floor as she kneeled. Drawing in ragged breaths of air, she fought to regain herself. Despite everything, Jem rushed to her side, trying to pull her up.

She tried to struggled to stand on her own and move away from him in shame, but agony rippled down her spine. Leaning heavily against him, Tessa felt the edges of her vision darken as her's and Cecily's thoughts blurred. As her knees gave out and she collapsed to the floor, she felt Jem's arms go around her, softening her fall before she slammed into darkness.

**~~ooo~~**

As soon as Tessa was out completely, the Change started to fade away, her brown hair curling down haphazardly like spun ribbons has Jem carried her to her room. Though she was unconcious, she tossed and turned in her bed, a thin sheen of sweat covering her forehead. Her fingers twisted in the blankets, seemingly wound until they were impossible to untangle in the fabric. Gently putting his hand over Tessa's, Jem pried her fingers from the covers, lacing his fingers with hers. He couldn't bring himself to be mad; she had been left in the dark about the truth just as she had left him.

_What is she anyway? Since she can shapeshift, I would assume she was a warlock, but she doesn't have a warlock mark...I would know. _Jem flushed at this thought. _Perhaps she is a combination we have never seen..._

Reaching into his pocket, Jem pulled out his phone, holding out his phone. "I'm worried. Take it and call Will. He has the right to know what happened." Cecily took it, nodding solemnly and leaving the room. Pushing the door shut, she left them in the room alone. Tessa's fingernails dug into Jem's hand as she clamped down, her eyes darting from side to side underneath her eyelids.

Sitting up suddenly, Tessa's eyes snapped open. Scrambling to get from the bed, Jem held her down, hating the way she glared at him in anxiety, anger, and fear. "Let me go, James."

"Tessa. You need to lie down." Jem said softly, his grip firm on her shoulders. "You're body is weak and having trouble adjusting between your natural form and Cecily." She shrank back from him, her back pressing against the headboard. Pulling back his hands, Jem softened his gaze. "Tessa. Why didn't you tell me about any of this. About all of it?"

"You wouldn't have believed me." Tessa said, her expression guarded. "You would have called me a freak just like Nate did."

"I am not Nate."

"But you are human."

"I should tell you that there are many things you do not know about me as well, Tessa." Jem admitted, hoping to soothe her nerves. Tilting his head to the side, he pulled the hem of his shirt down slightly, pointing to his parabatai rune. "I am a Shadowhunter. This is a rune; a parabatai rune. It binds me and Will so we are closer than friends; closer than even some siblings. It seems as if fate has brought you into our hands."

"But I lied."

"And I did as well. I hunt demons. So does Will, Cecily, and the Lightwood brothers." Jem sat on the edge of her bed, reaching forward to cup her face. "You're safe, Tessa. You're what we call a Downworlder and I, as a Shadowhunter, am obligated to protect you. We all are."

"I'm scared, Jem." Tessa murmured, pulling her knees to her chest. "I've never had a Change that strong. What was all that about a girl...Ella, and a curse, and demons?"

"That's part of Will's past. It is not my place to tell you his story just as it is not his to tell mine." Jem said, pulling her closer. She clung to him, her body shaking slightly in his arms. "You're going to be alright. When did you first find out about your ability?"

"It was when I lived with my Aunt Harriet and I would look through her old photographs and then one day, I just Changed. I realized that Nate wasn't my brother, and I told him and that's when he became different. He was distant and constantly angry. I knew that my power couldn't do anything but be harmful." Tessa said quietly, leaning her cheek against his chest. "I didn't mean to Change into Cecily, but I was holding her bracelet so tight that it just happened. I tried to stop it and it didn't. I can't control it."

"We can help you with that. We have experience with Downworlders."

"You're saying I'm not the only one of my kind?"

"You're the only shapeshifter I've met, but others that you know are Downworlders." Jem explained. "Magnus is a warlock and Conrad is a werewolf. Woolsey Scott is the pack leader. We have many Downworlders in our hands."

"So you're not going to have to kill me?"

Jem laughed, light and amusedly. "I kill demons. You're definitely not one."


	49. Don't Forget

"So you have to be holding an object of the person you want to Change into?" Will asked, his blue eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Tessa stared at him with hesitation, her fingers clasped together in front of her. "Yes...though if I've Changed into them before, I can do so without holding an item of theirs."

"Why do you have this power?"

"Will, honestly." Cecily said, putting her hands on his arm. "Tessa's not a criminal. She doesn't need to be interrogated." She crossed her arms as Will glared at her as if to say: I'm older, I make the rules. Putting her hands on her hips, Cecily stood up. "I don't want you to ask her any more questions. We've been sitting here for almost an hour listening to you cross her as if she were on trial. She's a shapeshifter. She doesn't have a warlock mark. What difference does it make? Why is it so important to you?"

"Everything is important." Will said angrily, scowling at Cecily. "The Clave will be all up in our faces vying for information if we don't give it to them. We'll need to explain to Tessa everything about the Shadowhunters, what we are, what we do-"

"I've already taken the liberty explaining our purpose." Jem interrupted, his expression mutual. "But we cannot be so harsh. While we are fighters, upholders of the Law, and defenders, we are also friends and merely human. Our angel blood may grant us heightened abilities, but it has not taken away our humanity towards someone so confused and unaware of the world around them. It would be stupid of us to make her believe that our hospitality has run out if we continue to act like such...no offense to you, Will."

"None taken." Will said coolly, staring at Jem. "We will need to document information and explore her ability-"

"I am still here. I am still listening." Tessa interjected, her gray eyes blazing. "If you need information, I will give it to you. If you need explanations, I will listen, but if you intend to exploit me and my power, then I will refuse to comply."

"Forgive us." Jem said, sighing. "But our type of government is strict. They will require that we teach you how to control it if you are to stay in the mundane world."

"So I don't hurt anyone?" Tessa queried sourly.

"So you don't harm yourself." Jem walked over to the end of the table, placing his hands on it and looking at everyone. "This will get sorted out and you," he glanced at Tessa, "will be fine. It has been a shock to all of us, but we cannot let that get in the way of our true purpose."

"And what might that be?" Will leaned forward, putting his chin on his hand. "It seems as if our priorities have blurred together. Bastards the Clave people are...all of them."

"May I remind you, since I'm eighteen, I'm a full member of the Clave now."

"Then you're a bloody bastard."

"...We're supposed to save lives and take the bad ones. The Clave only holds power over the political aspects of our lives. We musn't let it get into our heads."

"You know, James," Will drawled out his words, "I think I liked it better when you were all awkward, shy, and quiet around everyone except for me late at night when you've had too much coffee. Now you're much too loud."

"Look whose talking." Cecily grumbled. Leaning towards Jem, she lowered her voice. "Look, Jem, I need to talk to you about something. This conversation has already gone on for too long and has riled everyone up."

Jem looked at her with confusion. "Cecily, later."

"Now. It's wildly important. It's about..._it_." Cecily wound her fingers around his wrist, marching him down the room into the hallway. Will contemplated going after them, but found the discipline to stay seated. For a few moments, Will and Tessa stared awkwardly at each other, none wanting the silence to continue, but no one brave enough to break it. Finally, Will stood up, walking towards the kitchen. he paused when he neared Tessa, staring down at her.

"I didn't mean to sound so harsh." Will said, helping Tessa up. "Living life bathed in secrets has changed all of us."

"And yet the others seem to manage just fine." Tessa pointed out.

"...Are you well?" Will asked, changing the subject.

"As fine as I'll ever be." Looking down at her feet, Tessa closed her eyes slightly. "Who was Ella? I got fragments of memories when I Changed into Cecily. She was part of them, but only a small wisp."

Will froze, a look of grief flittering across his expression. His gaze hardened, his eyes narrowing. "She was my sister. She was the eldest of the three of us. There was...an accident that I caused and she died, but that's the past. It's over and there's nothing that anyone can do to change it." Will said sharply, an inhalation of breath faltering in his throat. Looking back at Tessa, he swallowed. "Don't bring her up with Cecily. It makes her...distraught."

"I could say the same about you."

"It was an accident. Cecily will tell more than she is welcome to explain. Please, keep that part to yourself, Tessa. For me."

"Then will you tell me what happened?"

"Curious as always, Tessa. Maybe another time when times have grown smoother between us." He cupped her face, pressing his lips softly to her forehead. "No matter what, Tessa, I'll never stop loving you. It might sound cheesy or just another one of my covers, but it's true. I hope that you'll be good to Jem; he's a good person and I would hate for you to break him."

"You've already broken everyone, including yourself, too many times to count, Will." Tessa sighed, turning away from him. "I love you, Will, and I love you still now that I love him. I hope that if you love me as you say you do, you will let me be."

Drawing away, Will stared at her through a thicket of thick lashes, his blue eyes glinting. "Very well, Tessa. Very well."


	50. Author's Note

**Hey everyone! So...I'm halfway to one hundred chapters! I just wanted to say thanks for all the reviews. You guys are awesome and I hope you will review more and more. :)**

**I wanted to ask, what do you want to see later in the story?**

**I can't incorporate everyone's suggestion, but if there is more Jessa or any particular ship that you want to see, comment below and will consider. Be specific or be plain, I'll try to make it fit.**

**If I can't, sorry, but I hope I can.**

**So, what kind of smexiness, jexiness, villainous, weirdness, craziness, or stuffiness do you want to see?**

**Thanks!**

**-MortalShadowhunter ;)**


	51. Jamie

"What do you mean it's gone?"

"They have run out. We have to find someone else who can ship it to us or that is close enough for us to get it."

"I can survive."

"But can you live?"

"They are the same."

"Living and surviving are very different things, James. You know what I mean. I'll be there for you, always, but I need you to at least try." Cecily said softly, worry lacing her voice. She shut the door to her room behind the, leaning against it as Jem stood in front of her. "I would hate for you to throw your life away like how Will tried to throw his. You two are more similar than you think."

"Cecy," Jem sighed, reaching forward and brushing his finger across her cheek slightly. "You don't have to look after me. You're like a sister to me, but I am well enough to make my own decisions. If the Yin Fen supply has been cut, then I will make do and that will be all. I understand that you don't want to tell Will because he will be overbearing and try to force me to search for a new supplier, and I thank you for telling this to me privately, but he will find out eventually. I need you to help me calm him rather than influence him to push. You, out of everyone, would understand."

"I know, Jamie."

Jem paused, a slight expression of surprise on his face. "You used to call me Jamie all the time back when we...I remember Will being so confused because he always had thought that my nickname should be Jem and Jem only. You don't use that name anymore, though. I think Will has that nickname stored in his mind if he ever meets another James. We can't all be Jem's."

"It was a name of the past." Cecily said lightly, trying to cover up that Jamie, a nickname purely reserved for her use, had slipped from her mouth by accident. "You'll be fine."

"No I won't and you know it, Cecy. But I don't mind. It has been suppressed long enough and it is merely my past catching up to me."

"The past always manages to catch up."

"I'm part of the past, Cecily. Move on.

"I don't regret it, though."

"I don't regret it either, Cecy, but it didn't click. I think we both agreed on that and I think Will would have too if he had known." Jem murmured, reaching for the doorknob. Cecily moved away from it, watching as Jem gave her a small smile. "Thank you for telling me beforehand."

"My pleasure." Cecily whispered, shutting the door behind him.

**~~ooo~~**

"What were you and Cecily talking about?" Tessa asked as Jem walked into the living room. She was sitting on the couch, a blanket curled around her waist as she turned the television off. "Unless, of course, it's private from both me and Will."

"I'm afraid Cecily wanted me to keep it just to myself." Jem said, trying to cover up he solemn expression. He sat down next to her, smiling again slightly as she instinctively leaned her head against his shoulder. She heaved an enormous sigh, rubbing her eyes.

"Cecily had lots of bad memories."

"We all have. It's part of life." Jem pushed his hair out of his eyes, looking at Tessa in concern. "It seems unlike you to be out here. In your free time, I'm used to seeing you stuck in a book. It's starting to worry me that something is wrong."

"Oh, James. Everything is wrong. I'm a shapeshifter and all my friends are secretly demon killers called Shadowhunters. I just changed into my best friend as saw a mess of memories that I still can't get out of my head. I saw Ella die. I saw a demon. I saw you and Will but mainly you. I saw sadness and pain and it's just too damn hard to forget the agony that one person holds up inside." Tessa said, hunching her shoulders and putting her chin on her knees. "There are so many secrets that I suddenly know the answer to...It's a little much to take in."

"I understand."

"No, you don't." Tessa said sadly. "Every time I change, I get thoughts, memories, and feelings. Cecily is hiding so much from you, you know that? She hurts everyday and she never shows it. If you saw just a flash of what I did, then you would understand, but you're not like me."

"I am different from you, but that's not necessarily a bad thing." Jem explained, his silver eyes glittering with anxiety. "I would tell you everything now that I know you're a Downworlder. It's different now. I care about you, Tessa."

"I know. You told me." Tessa raised her head from his shoulder, turning to face him. Putting her hands in her lap, she gave him a judgmental look. "I saw Cecily's memories. I know that some of them were not yours to share. I truly understand that telling me when you didn't know I was a shapeshifter about your...kind and what you do could have jeopardized your freedom. What I don't understand are the things that were purely unrelated to Shadowhunting that you still chose to keep from me."

Jem looked at her half with fake confusion and half with fear. "I don't understand what you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

"I've been honest with you, Tess."

"I didn't think you actually would lie to me about something like that, but you never told Will anyway. However, it would have been nice to know," Tessa said softly, looking at Cecily's door, "that saying that I'm the first person you've been with was a lie, _Jamie._"


	52. Cecily

Jem looked away from her, staring outside and into the distance, his silvery eyes dark with the humiliation she had brought upon him. Though he was turned from her, he could feel her stare boring holes in the back of his head, expecting an answer. He swallowed nervously, clearly uncomfortable by her statement. "I don't know what you mean." He said carefully, trying to keep his tone light. "I've told you all."

"You're lying...again. I've seen Cecily's memories. I know what transpired between you and her. I know that it was a secret; you didn't even tell Will about any of it. In fact, no one ever knew about it except for you two." Tessa said, her tone tinged with hurt. "I truly believed you when you said that you had told me everything that I was allowed to know until that Change accident. I thought that you agreed we could share everything."

_Cecily smiled, lacing her hand with his as they walked down the London streets. It was dark; it was always dark or else they would be caught by snooping eyes- particularly Will's. Stopping for a moment, Jem put his fingers under Cecily's chin, pressing his mouth to hers softly. They had often had too many nights where they wouldn't say anything to each other, just walking down the same old street._

_Drawing back, Cecily, pulled him onwards. "Come on, Jamie." Jem followed her obediently. He had hoped that it would work, but it wouldn't...he knew it would end and that they would both understand why._

Turning back to Tessa, Jem looked at her helplessly. "I swore to Cecily that we wouldn't ever talk about it. We wouldn't have worked; isn't that what you say about Will and yourself?"

"But at least you knew about it. He was your best friend, so it would have been irresponsible for me to keep it from you. Cecily was mine and you didn't share that with me. How do I know if you're not hiding more?"

_"I'm sick of hiding, Jamie." Cecily said, sitting down next to Jem on the porch. "It seems like I'm setting myself up to be distrusted by my brother."_

_"Are you suggesting we tell him?" Jem asked, momentarily dazed by her statement. "That would rile him up quite a bit. You know how he would feel if we told him that we are together...He would kill us both."_

_"I know. It's stupid." Cecily sighed, sipping at a glass of sprite. She set it down beside her. In that moment, she didn't reach for Jem's hand._

"You don't...But I was hoping you would understand."

"I'm disappointed that you, out of all the people that I know, couldn't tell me about something as simple as that in your past. This is a really horrid way of finding out, Jem."

He looked down at his hands, fiddling with them subconsciously. "If it makes you feel any better, I was the one that broke it off. We knew from the start that it wasn't right but we tried. It was all a secret. I didn't know you would be angry that me and Cecily-"

"I'm not mad or jealous that you and Cecily were together...I'm sorry. I'm being harsh. I just...I guess I'm just so tired of secrets because my life is just laced with them. I'm irrational." Tessa sighed, pulling the blanket over her shoulders. "I just want to know that whatever happens, can we just not keep all the secrets from one another? trust is what ruined Will and I. I don't want secrecy to ruin us too."

_"Cecily?" Jem said, knocking on Cecily's door. She opened it, yawning and smoothing her sleep rumpled hair._

_"What is it, Jamie?" She inquired sleepily, rubbing her eyes. Stepping back to let him in, she shut the door behind them both. "It's almost midnight. What do you need? Is it your illness? Do you need more?"_

_"It has nothing to do with my illness." Jem said awkwardly. "I wanted to talk to you."_

_"Oh...What is it?" Cecily let out a small yelp of surprise as Jem pulled her close, pushing his mouth against hers. He softened, the warmth of his hand leaving the back of her neck. She looked up at him, dazed. "Now you have to tell me what's wrong."_

_"I wanted to do that one last time." Jem whispered, nervousness clawing at his insides. He gulped, trying to hide the embarrassment on his face. "I've come to break up with you, Cecily." Not to his surprise, Cecily just stepped back and nodded._

_"I understand."_

_"You do?"_

_"Yes. I knew it wouldn't work out." Cecily shrugged. "I knew it would end soon." Going on her tip-toes, she pressed another kiss to his lips. "We'll still be buds, right?" Jem nodded._

_"Of course, Cecy. Always friends, and that's it. I'm satisfied with that."_

_Cecily smiled. "Me too."_

"Tessa." Jem said softly, taking her hand. "I'm not keeping secrets because I don't trust you or because I don't want you to know them. I'm afraid that you'll look at me and not see your Jem because I was different. Yes, I admit, Cecily and I were together and we kept secrets, but I never felt the way around her that I feel around you. I hope you understand that. There are many things that I will share with you; that I want to share with you because I am tired of keeping them to myself, but there will be a time and a place for-" His words were cut off as Tessa kissed him hastily, her hands winding at his shirt.

Jem pressed his mouth to hers feverishly, his hands tangling in her hair. The blanket on Tessa's shoulders slid to the floor, polling around her ankles. She drew back, breathing hard and her face flushed. "I understand."


	53. Guilty Pleasures

**KellyHerondale and random Guest...you did suggest this.**

**God...I don't mean for this story to be so smutty...**

"Tessa. You're a shapeshifter." Jem breathed incredulously, staring up at her.

"Yes, James. I think we've already established that." Tessa murmured amusedly, curving her arms around his neck. She leaned her body against him, pressing him back into the bed sheets. Her mouth sought out his again, tasting a burned sweetness of something reminiscent of charred caramel. She tightened her fingers in his hair, pushing her mouth down harder until it was almost painful for the both of them.

"The Clave would not approve of this."

"Does it matter?"

Jem smiled. "No. It doesn't." He rolled them over, careful to prop himself up lightly above her. He hiked her bare leg around his waist, his fingers hooking in the belt loops of her shorts. He bent down, his hair tickling her neck as he kissed the underside of her jaw. She edged her shorts off her hips and down with one hand, pushing them onto the floor where they landed in a small pile. Jem slid his mouth down, pressing it to the slope of her throat to the curvature of her breasts where her bra began.

Moving his hand to hold her waist, he took a sharp inhale when her fingers brushed against the flat of his stomach as she pulled him down. Kissing her with greater fervor, his fingers were more confident when he slipped them between her thighs, parting her legs. Instantly, she stilled against him, her eyes pressed shut and her chest caught in a gasp of surprise. It was only when his hand slipped past fabric that she made a low sound in the back of her throat, her hips rolling against his hand. She was shaking slightly, almost spasmodically, as he drew circles with his fingertips. Whatever would make her happy.

"James." She whispered, her breathing hitched. A tremor went down her spine, her hands holding onto him tighter. "Ah...Please."

"Tessa?"

"...Continue..."

It was satisfying as she buckled her hips against his touch, sucking in air between her teeth. Her face was flushed, her skin warm with heat. There were still scores where Tessa had first dragged her nails down his back; he hadn't bothered using a healing rune. Her nails were digging into his shoulders but he could hardly feel them. With one particularly light move of his fingers, she cried out; a little bit louder than they both preferred. She let out a string of variations of his name, a shudder rippling through her body. Her legs tensing around his hand. She threw her head back into the covers, panting, her teeth biting at bottom lip until Jem was almost sure she had broken skin.

When his hand receded, she let out a small whimper, her eyes still half closed. Jem kissed her softly, looking at her with sudden shyness. "Do you...like it?"

Tessa relaxed slightly, sliding her hands off his back and pushing her hair back. "Too much. I wish you wouldn't do that."

Jem smiled softly, his silver eyes glinting. "Yes, you do." He leaned down close to her face, parting her lips as she fought for breath. He slid his mouth down to her neck, collarbone, to the flat of her stomach, his hair brushing her skin as he aligned himself against her. Tessa bit her lip to stop herself from shaking, his fingers brushing at the backs of her knees. A hot, searing warmth settled in her stomach, her heart pumping with ecstasy and pleasure.

"Jem."

"Mmhmm?"

"I love you." Tessa said softly. She looked utterly exhausted, her mouth slightly open as she exhaled and inhaled feverish breaths of air. She grinned awkwardly, her eyes fluttering closed. "And not just because of _that_." Jem's smiled slipped, a small look of fear flashing over his eyes. "James...Are you alright?"

"Just a second." He said, pulling himself from her. He gave her an unsteady kiss to her forehead before leaving the room, clicking the door closed behind him. Hurrying to the bathroom, he slammed the door shut, coughing up clots of blood into the sink. He gagged on the coppery taste, his hands braced on the side of the sink. Retching up more blood, it pooled inside the sink, splattering his hands and the blindingly white porcelain.

Taking a towel from the cupboard inside the bathroom, he wiped his mouth, silently cursing himself for getting sick. There was a small knock at the door, Tessa's hand shaking at the lock. "James!"

When he opened his mouth to answer, he coughed, desperately trying to wash the blood down the sink. He was lightheaded as he sank to the ground, his heart thumping in his chest with pain and panic. He moved into a sitting position, trying to choke down the agony that tore at his chest. There was a loud thump at the door and Tessa nearly fell inside, still only dressed in her undergarments. Her eyes first went to the bloodied sink and then to the blood on the towel and on his hands. She rushed forward, kneeling by him and looking at him with worry.

"Tessa. I'm alright." Jem managed to say, coughing again into the towel.

"No, you're not." Tessa said quickly, her voice rising in volume. "Will!"

"I'll handle this." Will said, arriving at the doorway. His eyes ran over her nearly naked body before looking at her eyes with concentration. "Tessa. Go back to sleep."

"No. I'm not going. You don't have to keep the secrets anymore." Tessa spat back angrily.

"It's not your place to understand it."

"Will," Jem said raggedly, "let her stay. She deserves to know." Will gave him a curt glance before disappearing down the hallway. When he came back, he had a silvery drink in his hand, handing it to Jem. It smelled like burnt sugar; a taste that always seemed to linger on Jem's mouth. Taking the glass with subtle hatred, Jem downed it, his breathing clearing up and coming more easily.

"What was that?" Tessa asked, sitting down beside him.

"That," Jem said, staring at the empty glass, "was the medicine for my illness. It is also poison."

"Then why do you drink it?"

"With it, I will die. Without it," Jem swallowed, "I will die even faster."


	54. Never Alright

"I thought that when you told me you were sick, that you had cancer or something bad...I was scared and I was hoping that it wasn't as serious as you said it was." Tessa sighed, lacing her fingers with his. He took his cup of silvery water from the coffee table again, sipping softly at it. Tessa pressed her mouth together in a pained expression as she watched him stare blankly off into space. "Now, I wish that that was the case and none of this crap existed; the demons and all that."

He shrugged, his eyes flat with exhaustion. "It happened. There is nothing I can do to change it." He cringed in guilt, looking down at the floor. "But if I had been trained harder, pushed harder; if I had been a better Shadowhunter, then I could have-"

"Don't beat yourself over it, James. Demons are bastards...all of them." Will said from across the room, sitting lazily in a chair with a glass in his hand. "You were just great. I bet that if you went over to that demon, you would kill the crap out of him."

Jem narrowed his eyes. "...That means a lot coming from someone who never makes any sense. You're drunk, Will."

Taking another swig of his drink, Will laughed. "Nonsense. I have a very high tolerance for alcohol."

"I used to have a high tolerance for you until you started to go crazy."

"I have always been crazy."

Leaning across the back of the couch and taking a small, white stone from the drawer, the room glowed with a clean, white light, illuminating their faces. Holding it in his palm, Jem stared at it with solemnity. "Quite unfortunately so."

"So, is this just how your life has been the past six years?" Tessa asked softly, pushing back hair from her face.

"Pretty much. It's always been like this that I've forgotten what its like not to have my sickness. My disease, my illness, my addiction; they tried to take me off the drug and just give me strength runes and heal me, but it didn't work. My body had grown dependent on the drug and it's small powder form of stamina and euphoria. I can't go a day without it." It felt weird not having to wear a jacket around Tessa, the runes lacing his arms dark against his skin. "We found a cure and it worked, until it was..." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Unwound."

"Can we just not talk about this, James?" Will muttered, setting his drink down with a loud slam. His blue eyes were icy and swept across the room in accusation. "You're going to overload on all this talking. I swear, you've never talked this much in one month since all I've known you."

"I know that you don't like talking about-"

"I don't not like talking about it. I _hate _talking about it." Will said sourly. "I hate how you push it off and act like it's nothing. I hate how you always push off the medicine, I hate how you always talk about dying and-"

"Why hide something if you know it's true?" Jem asked, staring at Will calmly. "I should already be dead. What is it worth if I live another year or another month?"

"Tessa." Will said, trying to hold down his anger. "Can you let us talk in private?"

"No, this conversation is over." Jem said briskly, standing up. Will caught his arm, holding him back.

"Tessa, please." At Will's pleading tone, she nodded, hurrying from the room and into her own. Looking back at Jem, Will tightened his fingers around his wrist. "You're afraid of taking the drug, James. You're afraid of giving up your pride."

"What pride do I have left? A family ring? A legacy to uphold? I have nothing to carry on except for myself. My life is my own to control, William." Jem said sharply, his silvery eyes burning. "I am not afraid of dying or letting go, but you wont ever let me make my own decisions. I'm not your lap dog, Will. I try to be kind and thoughtful, but sometimes, it's hard when you're trying to control everyone around you like a puppet."

"You're going to get upset and then I'm going to have to force you to take the drug. You're running out anyway. I need to get you more."

"No," Jem said hastily, pulling his wrist from Will's hand. "I'm okay. Cecily said she would get some."

"Jem...what is it?"

"What is what?"

"You're acting strange." Will noted suspiciously. "Are you sure you are alright?"

"Will, nothing is ever alright." Jem sighed sadly, meeting Will's gaze. "I wish you would just accept that-"

"Don't-"

"I'm dying."

"I know that, but its not ever fair." Will said angrily. "Why you? Why you, though? The legends all say that the angels watch over us but I sure as hell don't believe them because nothing has ever been here for us. Nothing has ever been here for any of us. I'm worried, James." He looked at Jem in grief, his voice lowering to a whisper. "I'm worried that I'm not doing all I can to find a new cure. I'm worried that you're going to get sick again. I'm worried that my best friend, my brother...my parabatai is going to be taken by some unfair injustice. How can I possibly accept that?"

Turning away from Will, Jem closed his hands, his nails digging into his palms. It was a welcome pain; nothing compared to the agony caught inside Will's words. Forcing himself to look back at Will, Jem narrowed his eyes. "Who are you doing this for? Me, or yourself?"

"I'm sick and tired of this." Will said simply, his shoulders relaxing. Jem softened slightly, raising his hands to clasp in front of him.

"I know. Me too."


	55. It is Over

There was blood on the E string but he kept playing on.

The strings were sharp against Jem fingers, the pain in the fingertips agonizingly. Pressing too hard, one of the strings had cut through the skin, smearing red, slick fluid onto the wire. Wringing wailing notes from his violin, it sounded hauntingly beautiful, cutting through the sharply edged silence that blanketed the house. The bow had a long, red mark on it where the strings had swept over the bloodied string, staining it crimson. There were strings on the bow that had snapped and Jem had yanked them off impatiently, discarding them on the floor.

His arms were aching from holding his bow for too long and his wrist had started to cramp from angling it against the bow. His hair was pasted to his face with sweat and his breathing was coming in quick, shallow pants. The pale glow of the witchlight that only silhouetted his figure was dull, blurring his features together in a mess of light and dark. When he felt the insatiable want for his drug, he sometimes forced himself to play hours upon hours of no end until his body resigned to exhaustion and the need for the drug was suppressed. Now he craved it more than ever though he had taken more than he normally had in the evening.

Swallowing, his mouth still tasted like bitter sugar and his heart was pumping searing blood into his veins. More blood dripped down the string, his fingertips spotted with red. A coppery taste filled his mouth, like putting a shilling in your mouth, as he bit the inside of his lip, willing himself to play on. There was fire at the back of his throat, pain curling up in his chest when he continued to play.

_There are words in music as well_, Jem had always insisted when Will had ditched piano for his novels. He had never truly understood music, though, even when Jem played about burning runes, his love for Will, sickness, health and the bonds of their souls. There was a strange beauty to music; colors that seemed to unfold before his eyes as he played. Now, Jem could not hear his thoughts as the violin encircled him, a tragedy of mournful blacks and reds smeared across a fading horizon.

He caught his eyes in a mirror; cheekbones sharper than before, silvery eyes that looked flatly ahead and silver hair that was threaded in black. It brought back an unwelcome flood of memories of him and Will when they were kids. Will had only known the sick boy who was dying. There was no normal childhood for Jem; there wasn't any normality or consistency for any of them but they would make do. They always had.

Taking in a painful and shuddering breath of air, Jem brought his bow to his side, clenching it in his hand. A light, thin mark had seeming been permanently scarred across his throat where the violin rested on his shoulder. He had always refused to use a shoulder rest; not minding and dealing with the discomfort instead. Setting it down with great care on the end of his bed, he braced his hands against his dresser, leaning for support. Wiping his mouth, spots of blood streaking across his hand; he wasn't sure if it was from his illness or from biting his lip. It was painful either way.

Clicking open his drug box, he glared at it in hatred. In a small case next to it was a dagger Jem had kept from Shanghai. It had no special meaning, name, accomplishment but it was his and it was a part of his past. Taking the hilt in his hand, he spun it between his fingers, the sharp point digging into his already sore fingertips. Whirling around, he threw it at the wall. It pierced the middle of the mirror, shattering it and falling to the floor like shards of light. For a moment, Jem just stood still, his eyes wide and his body frozen in shock. Glancing down at the fractured pieces of mirror, he sighed in exasperation. His attention was immediately brought to the door as it clicked open, enormous blue eyes looking up at him.

"Cecily?" Jem asked, trying to get a better look at the figure. "What are you doing up at a time like this?"

"I heard a crash." Cecily said softly, looking at the broken mirror. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Things crashing in the middle of the night is never a good sign." She opened the door a little bit more, her black hair ruffled and sleep-mused. "What were you doing?"

Lowering his eyes, Jem walked over to the mirror, pulling the dagger from the wall. "Nothing. I'm fine. It just broke."

"Because it just happened to fly across the room and hit the mirror?" Cecily raised an eyebrow, pursing her lips. "Will's gone again. I tracked him and he's down at the Downworlder Markets."

"He's always off and in trouble. If I were you, I would try not to worry. No matter what I say, he goes off and messes around anyway." Jem carefully knelt on the floor, grabbing a small cloth and putting the small shards of mirror into it. Hissing when it scratched at his fingers, he dropped it into the cloth, his already bloodied fingertips dripping with more fresh blood.

"Jem." Cecily said disapprovingly, looking at the blood. "You haven't been acting like yourself lately."

"Can you all just stop worrying about me?" Jem pleaded, looking at Cecily. "I'm constantly being nagged on about my health. I don't want to be looked down upon or thought of as needy or just that sick Shadowhunter. You know how many of the Clave members are either trying to get me off the Clave or are unsure whether I give them delusional answers because of my illness."

"So you're saying-"

"I don't want the Yin Fen anymore, Cecily."

"But-"

"I don't want you to find a new supplier."

"You'll die."

"I know, and I am glad of it."

"You want to die?"

"Of course not, but it will be a relief. I have expected it to come and I thought I would have already welcomed it. Now, I am just playing Death's waiting game; stuck between a black and white universe. It is tiring after a while. Will would not understand. He often does too many things out of the name of loyalty and love. His heart is good but he would rather me suffer than let me die in peace." Shutting the Yin Fen box closed with a loud snap, he pushed it to the back of his dressers. "I resign, Cecily. It is over."


	56. Questions Answered

**This chapter is so short that I'm laughing right now it's that short...Lol. No flames pwetty pwease. :) Lol. I look at this chapter and it's so short that it reminds me of Ceci- *gets punched in the face* ahem...my cat. Sorry. the characters are currently killing me right now.**

**Henry: I found a computer.**

**Cecily: We need some more Gabrily fluff in this story.**

**Me: May I remind you that this story mainly focuses on Tessa and Jem and Will?**

**Henry: I found a laptop.**

**Cecily: *Raises fist***

**Me: Your brother will kill me if I write more fluff.**

**Will: Well, good thing you can't write any more fluff. I just killed Gabriel.**

**Henry: I found a stick.**

**Cecily: GOD DAMN IT, HENRY. NO ONE CARES...WILL, WHAT DID YOU SAY?**

**Will: Just kidding. I just smashed his face in with a sledgehammer and he's bleeding out, but other than that, he's fine. He's still ugly.**

**Jem: Just like you. *Smiles sweetly***

**Me: *Smiles back until I realize he isn't looking at me. Blushes furiously when Will glares in my direction.* Okayyy...Why don't we just continue with this short shitty piece of crappy chapter stoofie. I will be answering some questions that some people have been asking or that I know some people will be asking but I won't give away too many spoilers or anything like that.**

**Henry: I found a crappy writer.**

"It just seems so stupidly mundane to be going back to school after everything that happened." Jem said softly, his finger's tangling with Tessa's. Staring ahead of them at the throng of people that bustled in and out of classrooms, he swallowed nervously. "Listen, Tessa. I'm...I'm sorry about Saturday; with what happened with my illness and everything." He stopped walking, turning to her and staring at her in shame.

"It's not your fault." Tessa murmured, her gray eyes dark. She leaned up, kissing him softly on his lips before drawing away. "I'll see you after school."

"Okay." Jem watched as she walked away, yelping when someone grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "By the Angel, Will...You startled me."

"I remember when you used to be the one pestering that I was taking too long to get to class." Will said, marching Jem to their first classroom. His black hair was wildly messy, looking like Goku from Dragon Ball Z that Magnus had forced them all to watch. It was mind scarring. "Look, we have mounds of homework to complete. I swear, if I get another chemistry project from that bastard, I'm going to punch him in the-"

"Will."

Giving him a slight smirk, Will nudged him, raising his eyebrows. His smile slipped when Jem coughed slightly, but relaxed when there was no blood. "Jem...by the way, I went to the Downworld Markets and I couldn't find any of the stuff, but, um...I'm going to Whitechapel tonight to see if I can find it."

"Please Will," Jem said softly, putting his hand lightly on his shoulder, "don't bother. I have enough."

"...Alright." Will looked at him with suspicion, his blue eyes inquisitive. "But you'll need more sometime."

"I know, I know. I don't want to talk about it." Jem sighed, opening the door and going into the classroom.

**Okay! THAT'S THE END OF THIS CHAPTER...MY CHAPTERS ARE SHORT BUT THIS IS LIKE BEYOND SHORT...WHOOPS.**

**Question time:**

**Is Jem going to find a cure?: **Okay...so, he might and he might not, but I will tell you...Aetas comes back and she messes with him. *Tessa raises her eyebrows* No! Not that way...Oh Raziel, these people.

**Wessa?: **Okayyyyy...so, I know Wessa makes up a sad majority of the population. I am Jessa all the way... *Let all of us Jessa fans stand in mourning silence for our delusional sisters and brothers...but mainly sisters* However, since I know that there are Wessa fans reading this, there will be more...awkward situations that I know we would all feel very awkward to be in...Lol. I have an idea and it is very awkward for all of them. So yes, there will be more Wessa...unfortunately.

**Jessa?: ***SMILES AND BLUSHES* Ohmegawdjemiswatchingmetype...Just kidding...My imagination has run wild...There will be Jessa. Lots of it. Yay...That's all I have to say. :) Yay.

**Additional details :)**

**Soooo, what I'm doing is I want you guys to make an OC character and, depending on which one is best, I will incorporate it somehow in my story. They will have a small section in the story and I will try to write them as nicely as I can. Make them simple, make them likeable (Or badass-ly-ish annoying) and I will consider. :) Just tell me their:**

**Personality:**

**Appearance:**

**Species:**

**If you have any more questions about me or my writing or my story, feel free to ask. :) :) :) :)**

**Jem: Hi Scarlett**

**Me: Hi... :)**

**Jem: Are you going to write more Jessa?**

**Me: Yes!**

**Jem: Okay, thanks! *Walks away***

**Will: what da hek...*runs after Jem but gets run over by a bus***

**Me: OH MY GOSH! WILL! MY BABY!...I mean...lol. You deserved it...I'm just kidding...I still love you both...but I love Jem more...Sorry.**


	57. Pushing Will's Buttons

**SO, I'm just sitting there reading my reviews and I'm just like "Screw this. I'll use everyones OC.**" **They will appear in some chapters when I get the chance...;)**

**Damn Fanfiction...It keeps on going down. It's starting to piss me off.**

"And then the formula...H2O in the beaker...Sodium Bicarbonate reacts with...Blah, Blah, Blah-"

Will had almost fallen asleep by the end of class, his forehead against the desk with his arms rested on it. His eyes were almost closed, a gleam of blue behind the frame of eyelashes. Conrad, a part of the Praetor Lupus clan, had taken to tossing eraser shavings at Mr. Lightwood, looking away innocently when he noticed. Even the Lightwood brothers had gotten bored, their stormy green eyes gazing outside the window and staring into space.

Sighing, Jem pulled out his Chemistry book, setting it on his desk and flipping to the designated page. He was thankful that more than half the school were Downworlders because they didn't think twice about his silvery hair and eyes. Magnus was much more flamboyant, glittery, and overall, more colorful than Jem would ever be, but then again, he had never aspired to be Magnus anyway. Poking Will in the side, Jem shook him out of his daydream. "Will! You've already got an awful grade in class and its not going to be fixed if you don't work."

"Ah, to hell with Chemistry." Will muttered, wrapping his arms tighter around his head. "Plus, I have an A minus. That is not a bad grade."

"Yes...It is."

"I was having a much more productive dream of this one woman who had the most enormous-"

"Will!" Jem sputtered, looking up at the teacher who was staring right at them. Will instantly dropped the explicit hand gestures he was making and glanced behind him, looking at Gabriel's embarrassed expression. Will snickered, laughing even harder when Gabriel flipped him off under the desk. Jem, on the other hand, was not amused, but chose to stay silent and not get in Will's way. Sometimes he hated his passivity but Will was stubborn, even more so than him. He was immediately startled from his thoughts when an enormous stack of papers landed on his desk.

"You and Mr. Herondale have missed much of your homework. I'll be expecting you to make it up by Friday." Mr. Lightwood said in a clipped voice, his red-rimmed eyes staring down at them both. Turning around and going back to his front desk, Mr. Lightwood sat down. "Take notes on chapter 10 and we'll go over them tomorrow. I better not catch any of you slacking or else it's detention for the whole class."

"At least he goes easy on us." Will said sarcastically, pulling his section of the papers from Jem's desk. He grimaced, his eyes flitting over the confusing and tediously boring directions. "When will I ever use this shit in real life? Because I am totally going to need to know what chemicals react with what when I need to read a book."

"Well," Jem said lightly, "why don't you just do your homework and get good grades?"

"By the Angel, you're so Asian sometimes."

Jem smiled crookedly. "Thank you."

"That was not a compliment."

"I know." Jem opened his mouth to say more when a girl burst into the room, out of breath and looking around wildly.

"Gina Ashwyn...You're late." Mr. Lightwood noted, looking at her pointedly through a pair of glasses. Taking his role call sheet, he marked the girl down as tardy, setting it down with a snap on his desk. "Go. Sit down wherever there is an empty seat."

"Who is she?" Will asked under his breath.

"She's a new student here. She was a Shadowhunter until she got bitten by a vampire." Jem looked at her with pity. "It must be terrible. I feel bad for her." The girl slumped down in a seat next to Gideon, making no effort to disguise the fact that she was absolutely enraged at having to go to class. Pushing her hand through her short, icy blue hair, she grumbled something loudly under her breath. "Look. She reminds me of you. Perhaps you and her can be friends."

"Can you shut up?" Will snapped, turning around and facing the new girl. "Some of us are trying to work here!"

"...Like me?" Jem inquired softly, glancing over at Will's untouched Chemistry book.

"Oh, go screw yourself." The girl hissed, her eyes narrowing and her fangs flashing out. "No one needs your shit around here."

"I could say the same thing about you."

"You're the oh-so-famous William Herondale. Aren't you?" Gina sneered, her lip curled in spite. "I've heard things about you, but mainly about all the girls you date being whores."

"Bloody bastard." Will mumbled, turning back to face the front. "She needs to go die."

"I can see you are the best of friends."

"Oh, yes. Besties for life. Don't tell me you still feel bad for her."

"I can't help but feel some empathy. I would hate to become a Downworlder." Looking at her out of the corner of his eyes, Jem furrowed his eyebrows at her angered expression. "Though I do admit that, no matter how bad I feel, she does strike me as someone I wouldn't want to mess with. I would say she's rude and cursory, but then I wouldn't know whether I was talking about her or you."

"Those are understatements for me." Will said nonchalantly. "If you look up dirty and rotten and pervert in the dictionary, chances are, I'm the synonym."

"You're the synonym for a multitude of things. Unpredictable, psychotic, nasty, stubborn-"

"Thank you." Will grinned happily, his teeth blindingly white. "Now, on the other hand, if we looked you up...you'd be an angel compared to me. Technically, I could be like you, but I'm already a Prince of Hell. You will fall as I did and you will join me."

"I seriously doubt that. Maybe you should rejoin me."

"That's impossible." Will gave him a sly smirk. "I was never there in the first place."


	58. The Trio Together

"Honestly, I have no clue what I'll do. Good heavens, we all have so much work to make up that I couldn't possibly think of reading anything for fun." Tessa sighed glumly, holding her stack of books to her chest. She glanced sideways at Will, watching as he narrowed his eyes when he spied Cecily walking over to Gabriel. "I heard you and James have lots of Chemistry homework. That's a pity. I've never been one for Chemistry, though science in general is not too bad."

"I don't like math class. I don't mind English class. I don't like Spanish class. I _loathe_ Chemistry class. Especially with that bloody Benedick Lightworm bastard teaching class." Will grumbled, giving one last look in Cecily's direction. "Chemistry isn't difficult, but with that worm teaching, we might as well be trying to morph into wolves with fending off Moloch demons in the Void. I would much rather do that."

Jem smiled. "Then that makes two of us though I can't say I particularly enjoy splattering ichor from the demons over my gear. It burns."

Looking at them both in confusion, Tessa raised an eyebrow. "Have you ever heard of English?"

Smirking, Will's eyes sparkled with mirth. "Yes. English. Commonly known as the West Germanic language of England, now widely used in many varieties throughout the world. The alternative definition for English could also be: relating to England, its people, or their language. And also: the people of England. However, you, dear Tessa, aren't English so whether Jem and I speak English or Nephilim style, you will always be the third wheel because you are American. Now, now. Don't look so jealous that you don't yet have a wonderful accent. Not everyone can be perfect."

"Will, don't be so rude." Jem said lightly, laughing breathily with amusement. "It's too bad you lost your hometown accent because you moved where half of my heritage resides."

"I don't need a Welsh accent and I don't want a Welsh accent." Will muttered, pushing black hair from his face. "We all sound drunk and like we spend out entire day singing, smoking, and downing quarts of ale in the town pubs...Not that I have ever done that."

"Cecily used to have a nice Welsh accent." Jem pointed out, shrugging nonchalantly. When Will turned away to speak to Magnus, Jem stifled a cough, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip as he fought to regain control. He hadn't taken the Yin Fen that morning, nor did he take it the evening before. Thankfully, there were only a few almost imperceptive drops of blood which Jem hastily wiped on his dark jacket sleeve. Tessa leaned her head against Jem's shoulder, her gray eyes shadowed with tiredness. A blue-haired, short girl sauntered towards them, moving quickly.

Pushing between Will and Tessa, she huffed, giving Tessa a dirty look before shoving past them. "Slut." Gina called back, her razor sharp incisors poking at her lip. "The whole school knows."

Following the girl with her eyes, Tessa stayed silent, frowning. On the other hand, Will shouted back some more...unsavory phrases ridiculing her short stature and fangs and almost everything about her. "_Twllt din! Cer adra'r cont o sais hyll!_" Turning back to Jem, who was staring in shock at Will, and Tessa, Will hissed in anger. "She's a god damned bitch who-"

"What Will means to say," Jem interrupted, furrowing his eyebrows, "was that Gina was a Shadowhunter who got bitten by a vampire so she was stripped of her runes. Annoying, yes, but she was one of us. And," he muttered slowly, "you're not the only one who can understand Welsh here. By the Angel, I know you cherish your rude phrases and explicit cursory words but you don't need to shout them at the top of your lungs."

"So boring. I may be rude but at least I'm spicy."

Jem snorted. "Spicy? The best word you could think of was spicy? That...that was just plain awful." Will grinned, his teeth perfectly white. It had recently occurred to Tessa that all Shadowhunters looked almost perfect; handsome, beautiful, defined, tall, and graceful. Perhaps it was the Angel blood, perhaps it was just Will, Cecily, and Jem that seemed to overpower any flaw that such people could possess. Even bloody Gabriel was attractive...not that Tessa was attracted to him whatsoever. It seemed as if Gabriel and Will shared the same power: pissing people off.

"Enjoying the scenery?"

"What?" Tessa asked, startling out of her thoughts.

"You've just been staring at both of us for the longest time. I knew girls fell for my beauty but I've never put them in paralysis, or comas yet." Will said smugly, looking down at her.

"I just...it...They're just annoying thoughts." She turned from him hastily, almost spilling her books when the bell rang. "I'll see you afterschool, Will." Tessa murmured coolly, moving over with Jem to head to Calculus. "I could do without Calculus."

"Hmm. Couldn't we all?" The corner's of Jem's mouth twitched up as they neared the room, a throng of people swirling in and out of the door. "I don't see why we have to learn past Algebra Two but if I have to do Calculus to graduate...the so be it. I wouldn't want to end up like Woolsey."

"Woolsey?"

"He failed his senior year...twice."

"That's horrible."

"Oh, well. He's never been to academically motivated. I try not to anger the teachers but he just seems to love doing so." Jem reached for the door, opening it and waiting for her to enter. Mr. Penhallow was at his desk, a pile of corrected math papers that everyone in the class dreaded getting back. Tessa looked at them helplessly. Before she sat down when she set her books on the desk, Jem braceleted her wrist with his fingers, giving her a light kiss. "Whatever happens, happens. It's not like you have to kill a demon, is it?"

"Mr. Carstairs, Miss Gray!" Mr. Penhallow said at once, breaking the two apart. "Sit down...Both of you."

"Depends. Is _he_ a demon?" Tessa teased, sliding into her seat. Looking back from Mr. Penhallow's annoyed expression to the sheepish look on Jem's face, she smiled. "And what was that about trying not to anger the teachers?"

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Soooo, sorry for not updating in a bit, but I will be going on quite a few trips over the summer and what not so I won't be able to post as much as I normally do. I say this a lot, but this time, I mean it. :( **

**Jem: That's okay. Take your time.**

**Will: Time? What the hell is time? There is no time.**

**Tessa: Watcha gonna make the next chapter on?**

**Cecily: As long as I'm fabulously badass, then take all the time you want.**

**Magnus: I could give you time, but you can't afford me.**

**Ragnor: Screw you.**


	59. Training

"The Clave has read our letter about Tessa's Downworlder ability and since Sophie has learned about the Shadowhunter world as well through Gideon, they want them both to be trained...Not to mention Jessamine who is far beyond Shadowhunting standards." Charlotte sighed, tossing a crumpled letter onto the table. "Since out of everyone besides me and Henry; we are much too busy with paperwork, the Lightwoods, primarily Gideon will be leading training sessions. You've met him, haven't you, Miss Gray?"

Shifting uneasily in her seat, Tessa looked up at Charlotte with curious and worried eyes. "Well, yes. We've talked and I do believe he is in quite a few of my...mundane classes. Though why Sophie and I would need to train makes me quite unsure about everything. I'm not really the fighting sort. I think I'd kill myself before I'd kill any opponent of mine."

"All the more reason to train you up." Charlotte said firmly, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "The more people find about your ability, the more curious and...suspicious people may become. Shadowhunters and Downworlders have never truly coexisted. Besides, entering the Downworld is a dangerous place. You will need to learn how to protect yourself."

"She's got us." Will remarked lazily, looking at them from above the open pages of a worn book. "Though I do admit I should probably lay off the demon hunting. Taking up too much of the spotlight, you see."

"Pardon me, but I do want to make it known that we have limited supplies here. It's dangerous and there are others out in this world that are stronger than us." Jem said calmly, staring at the letter on the edge of the desk. "Sophie knows Tessa and trusts her. She is eager to learn more about her kind. I do regret that I cannot say the same about Jessamine. Because of these new training requests from the Clave, might we be moving back to the London Institute?"

"You sound oh so prissy and proper, James. It must be a family trait. Like an eighteenth century gentlemen." Will muttered drolly, snapping the book shut. "Which you are neither-" Jem flashed him an impatient look, "-except sometimes I admit that you are one hell of a gentlemen so much that it makes me question my sanity."

"You're correct, Jem." Charlotte interrupted Will before he could say any more, rising to her feet. "The London Institute members will be called back to order and will resume to be a working and running Institute. In the meantime, show Tessa the basics in the basement. It isn't as big or as supplied as our old training room, but it will do. Gideon is going to ask Sophie if she would like to move in with us in the Institute since she has the Sight. Besides, she already knows so we might as well. Cecily and Gabriel already went out to notify all the previous Institute dwellers about this matter. There have been more strange attacks lately that we have not addressed."

Will narrowed his eyes at the mention of Gabriel's name. "Very well." He said coldly, moving beside Jem and tugging at his sleeve. Giving Will a curious glance, Tessa chewed at her bottom lip, wondering what had upset him so suddenly. "We might as well show her the temporary training room before it gets dark." Beckoning her with a slight nod of his head, he turned to the side. "Come one, Tessa and...be careful. This aren't children's toys."

Pushing herself up, Tessa furrowed her eyebrows. "I'm not a child."

"Such weapons can be tempting to use."

"You're going to teach me how to use them, though, right?" Tessa held her chin up defiantly, following Jem and Will into a part of the house she had never been before. There was a twist of stairs leading down to a room at least twice the size of the main room. Widening her eyes, she looked around in awe. "Goodness. I've never seen so many weapons."

"You think this is a lot of weapons?" Will snorted, flicking on a few light switches. "Wait till you see the London Institute training room." Sauntering over to a chest, he opened it easily despite the weight it seemed to have. Inside, there were glassy blades and daggers clasped to the lid and sides, reflecting off pinpricks of light. Pulling out one of the daggers, Will tossed it on the table. "That's my weapon of choice. Daggers. They're easy to use, easy to transport, easy to learn how to-"

"I taught you how to throw daggers and it took you longer than most." Jem said with a boyish grin, grasping the dagger in one hand. He snapped his wrist, sending it flying. It pieced the opposite wall with a clang, the hilt quivering slightly. "Though Will does like to pretend it was him who was the expert at such a weapon."

"Cheeky bastard." Will said halfheartedly, pulling out an array of swords and weapons and setting them on the table. Drawing a rune on one of the swords, he placed it delicately on the edge of the table. Turning back to an ordinary sword, he picked it up. "That's a longsword. Cyril uses that one the most-"

"Cyril?" Tessa murmured, raising an eyebrow. "Cyril is one of you?"

"No. He has the Sight. Like Agatha, like Sophie."

"Agatha?"

"Manager of a bakery down the street." Will explained, pointing to another weapon. He went on about it but another sword caught Tessa's eye. It was translucent and was glowing where Will had burned in the rune. It was beautiful and horrifyingly deadly at the same time. Reaching forward to take it carefully in her hands, Tessa stared at the rune, captivated.

A sharp shout startled her, a hand jerking her back and catching her before she lost her balance. Jem was breathing hard, his eyes enormous and his fingers wrapped around her wrist. "That is not one you should touch. We don't know what the effect it could have on you because of your blood." He softened his grip, breathing slowly. "It's a seraph blade- imbued with the magic of the angels. Only Shadowhunters can use them because if you do, you could get hurt very badly. The blade would sense your blood and reject your touch."

"I don't get it." Tessa said, clearly shaken up. "My blood? What do you mean my blood?"

"...We think you are a warlock, Tessa." Jem said softly. He didn't add that he had seen no warlock mark on her anywhere. "Which would mean-"

"You would have demon blood in you." Will finished, taking the seraph blade in his hands. "Demon blood and angel power...Not a good mix."

"Demon blood? I have demon blood in me?" Tessa grimaced, her eyes dark. "Does that mean I'm bad?"

"Of course not. Magnus is a warlock as well. He has helped us Nephilim and he has demon blood running through his veins." Jem stepped away from her, the anxiety leaving his eyes. "As long as you don't touch that particular blade, you should be fine."

Will looked at them in exasperation. "Now, where were we?"

**Author's Note: ;) About what Will said last chapter- he called her an asshole and a couple other female derogatory terms that I refuse to repeat...It is Will anyway, so use your imagination.**


	60. An Offer You Can't Refuse

It had been unusually hard hiding his illness from Tessa and Will while they were in the basement.

Though he had managed to stifle his coughs and smile when his heart was taught with pain, Will had looked over at him in suspicion a few times, sensing the change in atmosphere. Jem's hands were braced against his dresser, his silvery eyes looking down at the silver box that was clicked open. It was so tempting to take some of the Yin Fen, to quench the guilty thirst that ran through his body and burned his lungs but he refused to give in. Instead, he slammed the box shut, pushing it to the very back of his dresser to lie once more. Snatching his violin case, he unclasped it, reaching in and pulling the instrument from it's coffin.

When he went to place the violin at his throat, a knock at the door startled him. Setting the violin and bow on his bed with a sigh, he went over to door, opening it slightly and expecting Cecily to come through. Instead, there was a girl about Tessa's age, standing awkwardly outside his door, her body position in strange likeness to a puppet. At a loss for words, Jem raised an eye in curiosity. "Erm...You must be one of Tessa's friends."

"No." She quirked a painful smile, her gold, blond hair shimmering at her shoulders. "I'm looking for you."

"I...uh, I think you have the wrong person but if I can help you in any way..." Jem offered, opening the door wider. He could see there were laces of runes poking from under the hems of her sleeves, showing that she was a Shadowhunter. "You are..?"

"Lucy. But you can call me Luce." Lucy stepped inside his room without invitation, shutting it behind her. "I've come by order of my master."

"Your...master?"

She twitched slightly when she hesitated, as if it were difficult to form words on her own account. Taking a raspy breath, she pulled a letter from her pocket. "From her. She wants you to have it. If you wish to accept, call upon her and she will come. If you deny, you will all be killed." Lucy's eyes glimmered for a moment with gold glints, her hands tightening into fists.

"Who are you really?"

"Lucy. But you can-" She froze suddenly, her mouth open and her eyes still and flat.

"Time. It's a funny thing." A voice said, stepping out from behind the girl. The room was dark, only a witchlight outlining the figure. However, the voice was familiar enough, ringing through the room like nails on chalkboard. Aetas smiled. "I hope you didn't miss me too much, James darling. I would hate for someone so much like me to be lost in their delusional world of demons and love."

Jem let out a low gasp, disbelief clouding his eyes. "How are you here? I saw them take you away."

"As I said, time really is a funny thing." Aetas turned to Lucy, dragging a sharp nail down her frozen cheek. "Such a beauty, isn't she? I got her from another Institute myself. She's been quite an interesting test project."

"What do you want? It's obvious just a cure won't suffice. There isn't a cure anyway."

"Oh, but there might be." She ran a hand through her red and silvery hair, staring at Jem as if the answer was obvious. "Angel blood. Unfortunately for you, what you have is all you have, but what if you had more?" Turning to Lucy, she poked at her gold curls. "It has the oddest effects on Shadowhunters- helps them fight off such demons and illnesses." She giggled. "You can help me, though."

Backing away, Jem reached behind him for a dagger, his hand fumbling over the dresser. However, when she raised a handful of silver sparks threateningly, he went to open the letter in his hand instead. Tearing open the loosely applied tape, a small packet fell to the floor. Stooping down, Jem picked it up, his mouth watering as he saw the Yin Fen sparkling inside the plastic package. Shaking his head with thinly laced self control, he shoved the packet forward. "No. I can't take it and I won't take it. You offer me the drug and yet you haven't told me the price."

"It's so very simple." Staring at the Yin Fen in want, Aetas licked her lips. "I supply you the drug. You become my human guinea pig for me to test the cure on. I've almost got it right, but I wouldn't want anything bad happen to me, would I?" She waved her hand, and Lucy unfroze, her eyes bright and shining again.

"-Call me Luce." Lucy finished, turning to Aetas and gave a forced curtsey. "Master."

"Go. Read him." Aetas ordered, flicking a hand towards Jem. Lucy reached forward, her hand wrapping around Jem's wrist. He tried to pull away, but she was strong, her fingers tightening around his wrist. Jerking his hand back with all the force he could muster, he tore himself from her grasp, rubbing the red ring that encircled his skin. Unfazed, Lucy held out her hand to Aetas, wincing as the warlock drew silvery wisps from her fingertips. "Are you sure you won't agree to my offer?"

Narrowing his eyes, Jem remembered the anger that was once in her eyes and they way she had hurt Will; the way she had hurt them all. "You're lying. That's not all you want. I'm not going to help you anyway. The Clave-"

"You weren't planning to call up the Clave. You are interested."

"How did you..?"

"See Lucy?" Aetas prodded her side. "Angel blood has peculiar effects. Thought reading happens to be one of them though I do imagine that my excess use of magic on her has helped her form that ability. So...what do you say? Help me for a cure?"

"I _will _call the Clave-"

"Oh, bother with the Clave. I'm surprised you haven't taken up my offer, though. Your family has always been so proud that they would be dreadfully disappointed to see you so lowly and sick." She looked at him maliciously, tearing apart his thoughts that Lucy had given her. "You are correct, though. A cure is not all I want. I want revenge. Revenge on my big brother for always being the goody goody warlock. Revenge on the Clave for making me who I am. Revenge on the-" Her words were cut off when a dagger flew through the air, hitting her in the chest.

"No. I won't accept." Jem said firmly, holding a seraph dagger in his hand. "Leave me and the rest of us alone."

Reaching down, she pulled out the dagger, tossing it on the ground beside her. In an instant, any traces of the wound were gone and she was advancing towards him, her silvery eyes icy calm. With a flick of her hand, she pinned him against the wall, silver sparks glowing at her fingertips. He lashed out, slicing a gash on her cheek, but she simply healed herself, closing her razor sharp nails at his throat. "It would be such a pity to waste such a formidable ally."

"We aren't your allies nor will be ever be." Jem hissed, a trickle of blood running from his mouth. Aetas brought her hand down harder on his throat, all signs of amusement and lightness vanishing from her expression.

"I really wouldn't say that if I were you. Magnus has always been such a nuisance. The Clave has always favored killing Downworlders over creating peace. Consider this as you becoming a paid assassin in trade for a cure."

"I would never-"

Aetas lowered her lips so her breath was rustling the hair by his ear, her voice drawn out and low. "I need someone who is trusted. I need someone skilled but someone who shares my troubles. You, out of everyone, would understand. You have the most to lose and if you don't accept, I can torture you most exquisitely. First the girl, then the blue eyed boy, and then the blue eyed girl-"

"Don't-"

"I love it when they plead." Aetas smiled savagely. "It just gives me the chills, James. You're weak and you know you can't refuse. Accept, and I will leave your loved ones alone. Accept, and we will find a cure...Accept, and I will bring back your parents."


	61. Ashes Ashes

**Author's Note: I'm just going to break the news right now that there will be character deaths...Major character deaths later in the story.**

"James. James...Jem." Will said, staring at Jem. However, Jem was staring at the violin in his hands, his face paler than usual. He couldn't focus but he couldn't snap himself out of his torturous thoughts, pounding in his head like nails. Aetas was out. She was experimenting. What else would happen? Dropping the violin on the covers beside him, Jem brought his hands up to his temples, gritting his teeth. When Lucy had touched him, it had allowed her to read his thoughts, look into his memories, and break into who he was. With this power at Aetas' fingers, he wondered what else she could do. He was vaguely aware of Will shaking his shoulders, his dark blue eyes looking worriedly down at him. "James! You bastard. Jem!"

Snapping his head up to look at Will, Jem took a sharp breath of air, pushing himself to his feet. Giving Will a pained glance, he grabbed his violin and bow almost carelessly, putting it into the case and snapping it shut. "What is it, Will?"

"You've been staring at the wall with your violin for nearly five minutes. What is it with you today?" Will inquired, annoyance wearing the sharp edge of his tone. Running a hand through his ruffled hair, Will stifled a yawn, his eyelashes covering his tired eyes. "I was worried..." He looked at Jem in hesitation; strange on such a smug and handsome face. "It feels awful. I used to worry when I thought I was cursed, but pushing it down helped muffle it, but now, it's sharp and painful and it brings me more worry."

"Don't." Jem said softly, turning his head away from Will. _She could bring me back my parents. She wants me to murder Magnus...but she will murder everyone if I disagree. _Sighing, Jem picked up his violin case, setting it carefully onto the mantle in his room. "I am fine. I'm just tired and I need rest. How is Tessa with training?"

"Oh, we hardly did any when you left. Charlotte insisted I organize it."

"I can hardly imagine you doing such a thing."

"I didn't." Will remarked, a slight smile playing on his mouth. Crossing his arms, Will looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand, letting out a low whistle. "It's nearly midnight, not that it has ever stopped me from staying up before. Charlotte seems to always forget that we aren't kids anymore. I'm nearly eighteen, James. I expect pink unicorns and a demon piñata."

"Piñata? What is a piñata?" Jem asked, clearly puzzled.

"It's like a paper mache box that is shaped like...You hit it. It has ribbons..." Will shook his head. "Never mind. You're dull from being raised in an Institute for your entire life."

"It's not my fault."

"It is entirely your fault. You could have ditched when you were a baby and rolled down the path or whatever you had in front of the Shanghai Institute. You could have made a boat out of your violin and sailed across the ocean. Any competent one year old, such as myself, would have been able to do such a thing."

"I wouldn't want to destroy my violin. It is quite precious."

"Then steal one. Make your own or something. Birthdays are a detrimental part of life."

"You didn't come to Windows with us on my birthday that _Cecily_ planned."

"I...er...I was in a bad mood."

In any ordinary time, Jem would have smiled or even tried to smile to please Will, but it would not come. Instead, he bit his lip and tucked his hair behind his ears. When Will looked over at the dresser, he saw the letter crumpled on it with a small plastic package barely visible beside it. Reaching forward, Will went to take it but fell short when Jem snatched it from the dresser and shoved it in his pocket. "It's just drabble. Family stuff." Jem lied, grimacing when Will searched his eyes for uneasiness.

"What is it really?"

"Nothing you need to know about." Jem commented, gasping when a sharp pain pulled taught in his chest. Will's eyes widened and he went forward to brace Jem, but Jem pushed him away. "No. I'm fine. I-" A violent cough belied his words, blood as bright as rubies splattering the floor. Helping him into a chair, Will didn't mind when Jem tightened his hands in his shirt, shaking.

"You need some of the drug." Will said softly, kneeling down in front of Jem. When Jem opened his eyes, they were enormous with agony, fear, and regret, seemingly staring into Will's soul. His hands tightened in Will's shirt, choking down a painful cough.

"No. I will not take it." Jem said between gritted teeth, blood bubbling at his lips. Tearing himself from Jem, Will crossed the room over to the silver box, opening it up. His hands were quivering as he poured a small amount into a glass, forcing Jem to hold the glass. Rising to his feet, Jem wobbled unsteadily. "I will not take it." He repeated, swaying. "I have not taken it for two days and I don't intend to take it now."

"Two days?" Will cried furiously, his eyes blazing. "You suicidal bastard."

"Cecily understands-"

"Cecily is a damn sixteen year old. She's my sister, but I'm your parabatai. You need to take it."

"No. The pain is just too much, Will. I can't take it anymore." Jem sighed, eerily calm. The glass fell from his hands, shattering on the floor in a glistening swirl of silver. Looking up at Will, his pupils were nearly nonexistent, the silver swallowing up the pinpricks of black. "You, out of everyone, are the hardest to understand." Then, he crumpled forward; Will catching him before he could hit the ground.


	62. Pride

_How did I not notice?_

Will couldn't help but stare at Jem who was slumped over in his arms, a choked cry stuck in his throat. There was blood on his hands and on the floor but mostly encircling Jem's mouth. He had paled slightly, small bubbles of foamy blood running down his chin. He looked more like a recently fed vampire than an eighteen year old Shadowhunter. Wincing as he set his hand in broken glass, Will braced himself up as he tried to fumbled for the silver box on Jem's dresser.

Two days. Two days without taking the drug. Will hadn't studied Jem long enough to realize that his cheekbones were sharper, his fingers more slender and cut when he played his violin, and his eyes so silver, they glowed in the dark. It was eerily beautiful the way Jem laid there against Will, his face expressionless and his porcelain like eyelids fluttering slightly when Will moved. In the dark shadows of the room with only a witchlight illuminating their faces, Jem's was cut out with shadows and slices of light. There was a moment when Will swore he saw Jem twitch and look at him, but then again, his imagination had always hoped for better in these kinds of situations.

Finally getting his grip on the silver drug box, Will pulled it down beside them, flicking open the worn clasp and glaring at the silvery substance. Even the powder had some sort of elegance to it, like the way a blade was carefully edged for disaster but was still luminescent and perfectly colored and balanced. Will hated it the way he hated himself, perhaps because the dangerous drug reminded him of who he was; pretty to look at but deadly and quick to kill.

This time, when Will looked back at Jem, he was actually moving somewhat, his hand rising to push hair from his face. He smeared blood on his forehead, blinking open tired and silvery eyes that glinted quietly with covered pain. Will narrowed his eyes in concern, pushing the silvery box by Jem's side. "James. It's strange. You're growing careless about your health."

"And you're the one to talk?" Jem whispered, licking his lips. Looking over, he sighed when the box caught his eye, his lip curled in disdain.

"Are you going to take it?"

"No."

"You're stubborn."

"Isn't the world just full of hypocrisies?" Pulling away from Will, Jem leaned against the side of the dresser, his heart racing quickly, but weakly in his chest. Will frowned, his eyes running over Jem's face, searching for the unspoken words that always ran between them.

"Something troubles you."

Jem smiled softly, looking at Will with great gravity and concentration. "I am always troubled by many things. I try not make such deals out of-" Stopping to cough, Jem pressed his fingertips to his mouth, grimacing when red stained his skin, "-them as you do." He finished, struggling to his feet. Picking up the silver box and setting it back on his dresser, he took a sharp inhale, gritting his teeth. The drug was so close, he could nearly taste it, but he dug his nails into his palm and refused; self control had always been one of his strong skills. But now, when he turned away from it, pricks of pain and longing clawed at his throat, urging him to give in.

Will's eyes were so dark they almost looked black, his blood smeared shirt starting to dry. "Take some, please, James." He yawned, looking young and nearly childlike because of his disheveled state. "We both know you need rest and the drug."

"Go to sleep, Will."

"Not until you-"

"Please."

To Jem's surprise, Will just gave him a curt nod, opening the door and slipping outside before locking it behind him. As soon as the lock clicked closed, Jem went over to the drug box, pinching the silvery powder between his fingers and putting it in his mouth. It was numbing, but guiltily satisfying after depriving himself of the one substance that kept him half alive. He didn't want to take it in front of Will; it would feel like bowing under weakness and the poison of the drug.

Aetas was right. He was prideful about his family and if he showed his illness in front of others, that would make his entire family line look pitiful. The taunts from the more...doubtful Clave members were enough to force Jem back into hiding, trying to fake that he was in good health. No one really cared for Jonah Carstairs anyway. He had married a _foreigner._ In many eyes of the English born-and-bred, he was already 'tainted'. What puzzled him the most, though, was his unwillingness to take the drug in front of Will, his own parabatai. Perhaps he was afraid to give in to the Yin Fen in front of Will, who would always boast upon being right.

Taking another pinch of the drug to calm his thoughts, he could feel his breathing quicken slightly though he was deliriously stuck in the dizzying effects of the silvery poison. In the back of his mind, he could feel someone grasp his wrist, tearing into his thoughts. He pushed it off as a drugged hallucination. He considered playing his violin but he didn't want to wake anyone up in fear that someone would come check on him and fret about what an awful state he was in, Tessa especially.

Everything was ruined all because of his stupid addiction.

"I did say we could find a cure."

Jem whirled around, seeing Aetas stretched out in a chair in the corner of the room, Lucy drawing her hand away from Jem's wrist. Looking at her in resignation, Jem's eyes went flat. "What do you want?"

"I need an answer. My big brother is waiting practically outside your door, waiting to be killed. It would be so easy. If I could, I would, but it would be a pity that our dear old father would send his wrath down on this pitiful place you mortals call home." Aetas murmured, studying her sharpened nails. "Accept or decline?"

"I can't hurt my friends."

"But I can. If you decline, it will be as if you were sending them to their death."

"Then that leaves me no choice."

Aetas grinned. "Exactly."


	63. Bitter

"Hey, Jem." Cecily bounced over to him, her beanie threatening to slide off her head and onto the floor. Though she had traded all her neon tank tops for black ribbed backs, she still wore heels. Studded ones. Leather ones. Shiny ones. Tall ones. Scary ones. Even so, she barely reached Jem's chin, her black hair waving behind her. "I was wondering if-"

"Listen, Cecy. I need to talk to you." Jem said, cutting her off. Resting his elbows on the counter, he sighed, his eyes downcast. "Look, something strange has been happening...I don't know what to do."

"Let me guess." Cecily said, offering him a playful grin. "Love drama and-"

"No. Nothing of that sort. It's dangerous and it's going to hurt us all if we don't act soon." Jem said, biting his lip. "Remember when I got back with Magnus and Ragnor? And then Will and I went to the Clave hearing where Aetas was sentenced to the asylum?"

"Yes?" Cecily asked, her light attitude slipping. "What is it?"

Taking a shuddering breath, Jem looked behind him, not wanting someone else to be listening to his conversation. "She's back and with a vengeance. She's visited me twice and she wants me to help her, and if I don't, she's going to kill you all. She's stronger than us and you know it. I don't know what I'll do because she's threatened us so many times."

"What? No, she is still locked up." Cecily shook her head disbelievingly, her eyes wide with horror. "That's not possible."

"Then why is she here? She's been experimenting on this other Shadowhunter using angel blood. She wants to experiment on me and if I refuse, she's going to murder everyone." Jem let out a forced exhale, pulling his silver ring off and fiddling with it in his hands. "And that's not it. She wants me to kill Magnus."

"Why?" Cecily queried, her voice growing grave. "If she's so powerful, couldn't she have killed him herself...Not that I would want her to."

"Their father has always favored Magnus. She is fearful that killing her own brother would unleash most unsatisfactory events."

"Did you tell Will?"

"No...He would act upon such a thing too impetuously. I trust him to know what the right thing to do is, but I doubt he would act in such a way." Jem murmured, slipping his ring into his pocket. Shifting uncomfortably, Jem wasn't sure whether to tell her about Aetas offering him a cure or her promise of bringing his parents back to life in exchange for Magnus's. _A life for a life, _Jem supposed. "I'm still unsure if her threats are just empty ones but...er, keep on look out, alright?"

Cecily smiled softly. "Of course." She jumped when the doorbell rang, her beanie falling onto the floor as she turned around. Stooping to pick it up, she craned her neck at the figure behind the tinted glass and dark curtains. "Oh, Gabriel's here. That's my cue to go." Throwing Jem a comforting glance, she gave him a small wave. "I'll see you later and I'll look out, but mainly, make sure you're alright."

"Just worry about yourself." Jem said halfheartedly. Pushing his hair back from his eyes, he watched at Cecily opened the door, pecking Gabriel on the cheek before heading down the walkway. She greeted Tessa, who was on her way into the house after visiting Sophie and conversing about the invitation to the London Institute. Upon entering the house, Tessa tossed her backpack on the couch, pulling a jacket from it.

"I found out today that Will is _very_ talented." Tessa muttered with only a slight edge of bitterness, holding up her jacket, which was clearly wet on one side. "He can explode Sprite so it reaches a distance covering the entire room. Today, at my old place that Sophie and I used to dorm in, he went to the middle of the room and blew it up. I was right next to it. Not cool."

"That's Will for you." Jem shrugged, forcing a smile on his mouth. "How does Sophie feel about moving?"

"She's all for it except she is reluctant to train. I can't blame her. I'm going to shear off my foot by the time I'm done with training." Tessa remarked, moving to put her jacket with her backpack.

"I heard you were working with Will yesterday. I do admit that he has progressed with his dagger throwing most exquisitely."

Tessa gave him a small nod, moving to wash her hands in the sink. "He's more patient than I thought he would be. Are you going to help train Sophie as well?"

Jem paused in hesitation, looking down at his hands. "I'm not sure. The Clave seemed pretty adamant when it came to the Lightwoods leading the training."

"I see." Tessa said softly, drying her hands on a towel. Going over to him, her hand sought his out, lacing their fingers together. "Are you alright? You look like something is bothering you."

"I'm fine. Just...tired." Jem lied, raising his free hand to tuck a curl of hair behind her ear that was coming haphazardly out of her bun. "You worry too much."

She smiled. "Says you. How ironic." Curving her arms around his neck, she pulled him down, tasting the burnt sugar sweetness of the drug on his mouth. Pressing her against the edge of the counter, Jem cupped her face, brushing his thumb against her temple. She was warm, he noted, fever radiating off her, but when she drew away slightly, she pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. "Are you sure you are alright? You're quite hot."

"We already know I am." A sour voice said behind them. Jem and Tessa pulled apart quickly, both of their faces flushed with embarrassment. Will was standing with a black letter in his hands, signed from the Devil's Tavern. Tossing it onto the counter, he narrowed his eyes at Jem. "Why didn't you and Cecily tell me that the Yin Fen supply was cut off?"


	64. Good

At first, Will could see Jem struggling for words, guilt clear in his eyes. Taking a sharp inhale of the brisk indoor air, Will narrowed his eyes, expecting an answer. Finally, Jem looked up at him, his silvery eyes dark with regret. "We were going to tell you, but with everything going on, I didn't know when."

"It's been nearly two weeks since it's been cut off. You kept saying that Cecily was supplying you the Yin Fen but it was a cover, wasn't it?" Will asked, his voice low and gravelly. Taking the letter in his hands again, he studied the small print that noted that, because of the excessive demand, they had to withdraw in hopes that they could regain a steady supply before selling again. Trying to not let the fear in his voice show when he turned back to Jem, he sighed. "You lied to my face-"

"As if you haven't before."

"I'm your parabatai. You are mine. Have we forgotten that or do age old bonds mean nothing anymore as well? I thought you wanted to live. I thought you were okay." Will said, anger biting at his tone. Tessa was staring at him, her eyes huge and gray. Looking away from her, Will tried to hide the anger that laced his words, his nails digging into his palms. "I get it that you like to be oh-so-secretive with all the things revolving around your illness, but this crap, whatever it is, is starting to get repetitive and it sickens me. It sickens me that you would throw away your life when it's selfish of you because there are others who care."

"Who cares about my life?" Jem said, shrugging in resignation. "I'm going to die anyway whether you like it or not."

"...You once saved my life from my own hand," Will whispered in grief, his eyes blazing in recollection, "and you won't let me try to save yours."

"But unlike you, William, my death is inevitable." Jem fought to keep his calm, his voice smooth and cool. "This is exactly why I don't make a deal out of my illness because you make one big enough for everyone. I don't tell you certain things because I know that you care and I am grateful for that, but you still are to quick to snap and attack others when it really is quite a small matter compared to the ones we have at hand."

"James-"

"Why can't you accept that I am dying?"

"No." Will said quickly, his blue eyes still burning. "Don't say that. You let that one belief rule your life and, when you say you are sick of the drug, it is because you are afraid to give yourself hope. You believe there is no loophole to this illness. You are just afraid to say it, but you have given up."

"If that is what _you _believe, then so be it." Jem murmured bitterly, giving him an enormous sigh. Walking passed Tessa and Will, he slipped into his room, locking the door behind him. Will pondered going over and using an opening rune on the door but pushed that thought down. Forcibly opening Jem's door certainly wouldn't better any matters between them. When he glanced back at Tessa, her hand was at her mouth and her head slightly bowed. She looked so sad; her gray eyes glittering with fear and grief.

"Is he going to be alright?" Tessa inquired at last, barely audible in the silence.

Gritting his teeth, Will stuck his thumb in the belt loop of his jeans. "I don't know. I hope so."

"Are _you _going to be alright?"

Her question caught him off guard. For a few moments, he just stood there, not knowing entirely how to answer her. "What do you mean by that?"

"You seemed awfully distraught. What did you mean when you said you tried to take your life?"

"I was young and I was stupid. It didn't mean anything." Will muttered sourly.

"Was it about Ella?"

"Of course not, it was just..." Will ran off his sentence, his voice hesitant. "Yes...You are right. It was, but I was young and I wasn't thinking straight and I used to be too willing to be led by such silly emotions."

"So you covered them and hid them instead."

"Yes...I guess you are right."

"You haven't been yourself lately."

"No shit, Sherlock."

Tessa's mouth twitched into a small smile. "Now you sound more like yourself, but really...I'm worried."

"Don't be."

"I can here you and Jem arguing at night sometimes. And, even when it's quiet, I know that you do. It's not like him to be so bitter."

"Of course not. He's practically a saint in every way...Almost, well, he used to be." Will admitted, the sentence strange on his tongue. It was weird to be so open with someone who was not his parabatai, but it was Tessa and she, out of all people, wouldn't judge. "I'my happy he at least has you though." His words were painful to choke out and he hoped Tessa hadn't seen the regret flash over his eyes. "He deserves someone like you. He has always been the good one."

"I do care for him, a lot."

"Good. Then," Will said softly, his voice wavering, "I hope you will not tell him of what feelings I still have for you. He would never forgive himself. He is faithful and sensitive that way."

"You don't give yourself nearly enough credit. You are kind and good as well, when you want to be."

"I'm also devilishly handsome, but I am whether I want to be or I not." Will added, trying for amusement. Tessa smiled again, slowly this time, but her gray eyes still sparkled. "Though, if there was a time where I did not wish for charming looks, I can't say I recall one."

**Author's Note: To Jill- Don't worry. :) I look forward to your reviews even if they are repetitive. They are a pleasure to read because they are so exquisitely long. :) While I'm on the subject of reviews, thank you for over 100 reviews! It means a lot to me and I have read every single one of them.**

**Until the next chapter,**

**MortalShadowhunter**


	65. You Should Go

"Yes?" Jem cracked the door a sliver, looking at Tessa. His violin was clutched in his free hand, a smudge of silver on his finger. She could tell he had just taken the drug, the silver of his eyes only a thin ring around his pupil. He was breathing hard as well, though he was trying to hide the fire that seemingly ran through his veins. "Do you need something?"

"Can I come in? Sorry, it's late." Tessa said, rubbing her arms, which were prickled with goosebumps. It had been colder in London now that it was winter; even the heater failed to work properly and Tessa had realized that thin pajama shorts and a tank top didn't do much at night to keep her warm. Jem nodded almost imperceptibly and moved back, letting her inside. Despite recent events, his room was as neat as ever, unlike Will's whose room always had a strange likeness to a library right after an earthquake. She clicked the door back closed, the silence between them strange and uneasy.

Finally, Jem spoke, forcing his voice to stay soft and unhurried. "Are you alright? Is something bothering you?"

"I can't sleep. Everything thats been going on...I'm just restless." Tessa murmured tiredly, sitting in the chair at his desk and pulling her knees up to her chest. She eyed the violin in his hands. "Did I disturb your playing?"

He glanced down at his precious instrument as if he had forgotten it was there. "No. I shouldn't. I've been playing much more often than I should. I've started nothing others." Pulling out his violin case uncharacteristically carelessly, he pulled his bow from on top of his bed and placed it in the case, preceding his violin. Sliding it back onto his dresser next to his silver box, he bit his bottom lip as if to deter him from having more of the drug. Looking over at Tessa, he took a sharp breath. "Are you sure you don't need anything?"

"I'm fine. I just want some company. That's all." Tessa yawned, leaning her head against her hand.

"If you need anything, feel free." Jem's voice skipped slightly, his hands jittery as if he were coming down with a sugar high. Taking a few forcibly measured inhales of air, he raised his hand to his forehead, pushing his hair out of his eyes. Tessa stood up, going over to Jem and taking his wrist. He flinched, his eyes wide.

"Are you feeling alright?" She asked, pulled her hand away.

"You should leave, Tessa."

"What?"

"I..." He took another shuddering breath. "I just don't want you to see me like this...I'm..."

"I'm not going anywhere." Tessa said adamantly, her voice laced with worry. She reached up but Jem caught her hand, his skin like fire. She stared at him for a few moments before tilting her head up, drawing him down. He gasped softly in surprise, his hand sliding instinctively behind her neck.

His mouth was firm against hers, her back pressed into the wall. The sweetness that Jem usually tasted like was stronger, for he had taken the drug just a few moments before Tessa had come to his door. It was almost painful; the unsteady way he held her and burned against her freezing skin. Even so, she pushed back against him, her body aching for more. He entwined his fingers with hers, pinning her hand against the wall. Despite normally being soft and always fearful that he would hurt her, he was rougher than usual, forcing her lips to part under his.

He groaned against her mouth softly, moving to press his mouth against her jaw. Panting, Tessa arched her head back against the wall, her free hand tightening in his shirt. Pulling away suddenly, Jem buried his head in the crook of her neck, his grip on her loosening. "Forgive me, Tessa, but you need to go."

"I'm still staying."

"I don't want you to see me like this." Jem repeated, his eyelashes creating thin shadows down his cheekbones. "Not when I've just taken the drug. Not when I can't control such petty and cheap desires."

"I don't care."

"But I do." Jem whispered, rustling the hair at her ear. Without meaning to, he moved to capture her mouth again, gently this time and softened with all the self control he had. When he did finally break the kiss, his eyes had silvered again, glittering. "You shouldn't be here."

Tessa shrugged. "But I still am. If you really wanted me to go, I'm sure you would have been able to force that upon me by now."

"I don't want you to go." Jem sighed. "But you should."

"I will, later."

"By the Angel, Tess." Brushing his thumb softly against her cheek, Jem smiled, a lovely one that Tessa couldn't help but watch as his features seemed to light up. Though his silvery eyes and hair were a result of a demon poisoning, Tessa couldn't help but find them lovely as well. It was a wonder how someone so ethereal looking could be dying quicker and quicker each day. "You're a tease."

"I'm not trying to be. It just happens." Tessa teased, offering him a small smirk. "Goodness. Now I'm starting to sound like Will."

Jem's smile slipped, a fearful expression drifting onto his face. "Will...is he alright?"

"He's fine." Tessa said after a moments hesitation. "He's worried. I'm worried. He really does care about you quite a lot."

"I know. We are parabatai so it is only natural. He is like my brother."

"I can see that." Tessa said, exhaustion starting to creep into her eyes. "I'm going to go to sleep. It's late and Will promised to show me _The Codex_ and other assorted books on Shadowhunting history and weapons. It's all quite confusing but only time will tell." Giving him a soft kiss, she moved to open the door. "I'll leave you to yourself now."

"Wait." Jem said hastily, braceleting her wrist with his fingers before she could open the door. "Stay."


	66. Different Kind of Freak

Cecily dropped from the tree branches that she was sitting on, landing swiftly and easily on her feet though she was wearing platform, five inch, combat boot heels. Before, she had been eating an tart apple, though she had already finished quite a while ago, tossing it into the bushes with a lazy sigh. There was a rattle at the front door and Tessa swung it open, her cheeks and eyes a rosy red. Walking past Cecily without noticing her, Tessa started down the street, her hands in her jacket pockets.

Thinking this to be quite unusual, Cecily skipped down after her, almost toppling over when her heel caught in a crack. After letting out a string of Welsh curses, Cecily looked up, noticing Tessa staring at her out of the corner of her eye. "Sorry! I almost fell. Whoops. The bloody sidewalks these days are absolutely horrid." Cecily called after her, trying to catch up to Tessa in her ridiculous heels. "What are you up to?"

"Oh, I'm just going out for a walk." Tessa said softly, looking sideways at Cecily. "I just needed some fresh air. I've been cooped up for too long."

"I see. It gets boring after a while just sitting in the house reading the boring guidebook to Shadowhunter life. At least its riddled with all sorts of other stuff about Downworlders and weapons." Cecily grinned, nudging Tessa. "I've only read the interesting parts."

"Yes...I can see what you mean but I do find many of the explanations quite fascinating. The weapons guide is especially useful. Will's going to teach me to throw daggers once we get to the Institute. He refuses to let either of the Lightwoods teach me and Sophie."

"Oh. Boys and their toys." Cecily shrugged, smirking slightly. "Gabriel is a good teacher. So is Gideon. I'm happy Sophie has him."

Nodding, Tessa forced a small smile on her lips. "Me too." Raising her hand, she turned away slightly as she wiped at her eyes, her gray eyes huge. Cecily frowned, flipping stray hair out of her eyes.

"I know that look." Cecily murmured, her eyes softening. Placing her hand on Tessa's shoulder, she stopped her, turning Tessa to face her. "What is it? I know something is wrong and no matter how hard you try, you can't hide it, Tessa."

Shaking her head, Tessa looked off into the distance. "It's nothing."

"What's nothing?" Cecily asked, intrigued. "You know I'm not going to give up until you answer. Think of how stubborn Jem and Will are, and then multiply it by a thousand and you get me." Taking Tessa's wrist, she forced her onto a bench, crossing her legs and chewing on her littlest fingernail. "Don't tell me you're leaving. Or...you guys didn't break up, did you?"

"No, no." Tessa said hastily, fiddling with her hands. "Nothings the matter."

Pursing her lips, Cecily raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

There was a long silence between them; Tessa's teeth biting at her bottom lip. Giving her a sigh in resignation, Tessa licked her lips. "You know me, Cecily. I'm not like one of those super girly girls who always wears makeup and dresses and bows and dreams about what kind of car they want to have and what type of expensive and extravagant valley they want to live in."

"Yeah...Unlike me, but that's another point entirely. Go on."

"I've also never been that girl who dreams of getting married and having a family. That was always what my brother- Nate used to want. He strived to meet the _normal _expectations of our Aunt Harriet whereas I would be pushed off to the sidelines because my dreams included becoming a writer or something that I really have a passion in...But-" Tessa swallowed, pulling her legs up onto the bench, "-I would want to at least have a choice in my future."

Taking Tessa's hand, Cecily patted it comfortingly, the sudden concern in her eyes giving her the appearance of someone above the mere age of sixteen. "What is it? Is there something someone did or..?"

"No. No one did anything." Tessa said, trying to blink back hot tears that pressed at the backs of her eyes. "If I'm a warlock, which, I can't be anything else, I would at least wanted to be able to make the decision on whether or not I wanted children or not."

"Oh." Cecily gave a small coo of sympathy, her blue eyes filled with understanding. "I know it is hard, Tessa. But-"

"I just want to be normal, Cecy. I don't want to be a shape shifter. I don't want to be a warlock. I just want to be me and that's it." Tessa cried, burying her face in her hands. "I'm different, and that's not necessarily good, is it? Even you don't know what I am specifically."

"True, we have never seen something like you but it'll be okay in the end. Being a Downworlder doesn't define who you are."

"I just always thought I would live an average life, but as every twist and turn keeps shaping my path, I don't know what I am anymore. All the Changing and differences between me and mundanes reminds me that I am different." Tessa said hopelessly, her eyelashes wet and dark with suppressed tears. "Everything that happens that should not be real just reminds me that I'm not normal. It reminds me that I'm a freak."

"I'm different." Cecily said, trying to calm Tessa. "That doesn't make you a freak."

"You're a Shadowhunter." Tessa whispered fiercely, her gray eyes glittering. "You can live a normal life if you wanted to. I'm not you or anything like you. I can't have children. I can't control the Change sometimes. I'm part demon. What else sets me apart from living a normal life?"

"Hey, what's the big fuss about it?" Cecily said, trying to lighten the mood. "You're going to get help, but don't ever say that you don't want to be different. After all, normal is overrated."


	67. Ruin and Run-ins

"We haven't gone on a demon hunt in quite a bit." Will said in a bored tone, picking at fuzz on the hem of his jacket. "The Lightworms have taken liberty by hiding any demon attacks from us. Charlotte and Henry have stayed away at least; always off at meetings and traveling into Idris to speak about so called 'legal matters'. It sounds quite boring, to be honest. There are two hellhounds near the school. You up to fight?"

"Catch." Jem said, tossing an unsheathed dagger at Will. Despite the fact that the blade was razor sharp and it was flying at Will's face at a terrifyingly fast speed, Will caught it with ease, quickly darting his hand out and wrapping his fingers around the hilt. Jem's mouth quirked into a small smile, though his eyes were dark with concern and hidden secrets. Securing a seraph blade in a sheath and marking himself with a glamour rune, Jem pulled Will to his feet. "I could do with some normalcy. I'm practically ready if you are. I see you have already taken the time to gear up."

"I knew you would agree." Smirking, Will stuck the dagger in his weapons belt, clicking open the front door and stepping outside. When Jem moved to hand him a stele to draw a glamour, Will held up his hand, stopping him. "I already have one. Trust me, after all the rants that Charlotte has gone on about over not forgetting glamours, I think I would know to use one by now."

"I'm surprised you listened to any of her lectures. You've never been the most attentive."

"Oh, I am most attentive if something is interesting." Will snickered in amusement. "Have you ever noticed that, as Charlotte gets angry, her face proceeds to get so splotchy she looks like a tie-dye machine vomited polka dots on her face?"

"No, why would I-"

"Because I have. It's actually quite entertaining to watch. No wonder Henry married Charlotte." Giving Jem a shrug, Will grinned. "I heard tie-dye is very popular this season. I used to think that London had bad taste, but now I think everyone has bad taste. Even bloody Cecily's dress she got from that awful store was tie-dye. By my eighteenth birthday, I might already be blind."

"Blind? I don't think so." Jem said, sidestepping a crack in the sidewalk. Looking over at Will, he ran a hand through his silvery hair. "You'll probably be in an asylum somewhere where they accept such psychopathic maniacs such as yourself."

"You're the psychopath."

"'I'm not a psychopath, I'm a highly functioning sociopath.' That's a quote that suits you." Jem said triumphantly, surprised he had memorized a quote from one of Magnus's interesting, but questionable, television shows. When he looked back at Will, there was a look of confusion spread all over Will's face.

"What?"

"It's a quote."

"From what?"

"Breaking Bad...no, it's from Agents of Shield..." Jem frowned. "No, I'm pretty sure it is from Sherlock."

"You. Read. The. Sherlock. Holmes. Series?" Will said, his eyes widening.

"No, its a-"

"I'm think in love with you, James." Will announced dramatically, placing the back of his hand against his forehead. "I can't believe you actually read a book, and a good one at that...I don't remember that quote though, which I find odd...By the Angel, who cares? You read a bloody book on your own accord. I don't care what the Clave says, we shall be-"

"Will-"

"Married-"

"..!"

"Tomorrow! I'll be the one in white!"

"It's not from a book." Jem scoffed with a look of horror and disgust on his face. "It's this show that Magnus played on the telly once. Don't you remember at one of his parties when he-"

"You mean to say you haven't read Sherlock Holmes?" Will said, mirroring Jem's expression. "You are no longer my parabatai. For once, I thought you had actually done something useful, you skive. You go on back home. I can manage without a deceptive bastard as my parabatai."

"Don't be daft, William." He started to say something else when there was a rustle near them. Drawing a seraph blade from its sheath, Jem held it in front of him, ready to strike if it turned out to be the demon. Holding his breath, he was tense as two figures crunching on the gravelly sidewalk from around the street corner approached them. As the noise got closer, Jem and Will awaited, their backs pressed to the wall and their voices hushed. They were so close, Will's fingers itched to throw the daggers he had clenched in his hands. At the last moment when the demon's shadows in the gloomy weather were starting to become slightly visible, Will whirled from his spot, a dagger poised in his hand.

Instead, he saw two familiar faces staring back at them who were definitely not hellhounds. Gideon raised an eyebrow. "Dropped so low, have you, William Herondale? Now, since you fail at fighting demons, have you taken up murdering unarmed Shadowhunters as well?"

Sophie, who was next to him, was wall eyed, her hand clutched at his wrist. "Goodness, Gideon. I didn't know they were your friends." She said, looking at Will and Jem, though she seemed only irritated by Will's presence.

Narrowing his eyes, Gideon's green eyes were fuming. "They're not my friends. Especially not that Herondale thing."

"Much apologies." Jem murmured, giving Sophie and Gideon a polite nod of his head. "Have you both heard the news about the Institute?"

"Yes. I've already started training Miss Sophie." Gideon murmured with affection. "She's progressing wonderfully. I hope for the same with that shape shifter girl."

"Tessa. Her name is Tessa." Jem remarked quietly, under his breath, staring at Gideon. His eyes were shadowy and protective, though he forced himself to remain kind and patient. "We best be going. Will and I tracked a hellhound."

"Correction." Will said, his glare still shooting daggers in Gideon's direction. "I tracked it."

"I don't care who did what." Gideon sighed, crossing his arms. "Some girl back there is already with them."

Jem's expression changed to curiosity. "Who?"

"I don't know." Gideon shrugged. "Some girl with runes. I've never seen her before. All I remember is that she had golden hair."

**Author's Note: To Jill: Once again, I have found myself humored by your review. :) I am sad to say I am not a warlock nor am I a reincarnation of Voldemort, though my love for Draco and Jem may have caused some conflicting thoughts in my brain. (They are so different, but I love them both...I still love Jem more. I love Will too, but Jessa deserves some attention). I'm happy to see that you enjoy my series so far and I look forward to your next review.**


	68. We All Fall Down

Jem's heart was pounding when they neared down the street, gripping his hands tighter around the seraph blade hilt to try and stop his hands from shaking. He didn't want Will to know, not yet, not when he, despite what the more reasonable part of his brain was saying, was still deciding on whether to accept her offer. Accept and be a killer; decline, and watch everyone be killed.

A flash of golden curls appeared behind a thicket of green shrubbery, a rare sight in such a factory-populated and gray place like London. Everything around him besides the gold girl and him seemed to freeze in time which meant Aetas must be around somewhere near. Hurrying behind the bushes and into the park that lay beyond it, Jem widened his eyes. Lucy was there, her hand wrapped around some sort of glowing, metal or electrum leash with two hellhounds on the end. They were superb trackers; Aetas must have been looking for something.

"Good afternoon, Jem." Lucy said dryly, her forced smile looking eerily out of place. Letting the leashes drop, she tilted her head, studying the way the frozen hellhounds stayed put against their own will. Turning back to him, she blinked. "My master wants an answer. You didn't give her one last time and she wants one."

"I need more time." Looking down at his hands, Jem slipped the seraph blade into his sheath. "Luce, look, I can't kill my friends."

"That glittery warlock is not your friend." Lucy said with disgust on her face. "Nope. He can die. Gina-"

_The vampire girl is part of it to? _"Gina? How many people are part of this?" Jem demanded, his heart constricting in worry and surprise.

"Only us. See, we are the special ones." Sitting down on the grass, Lucy took a stele from her pocket, burning in another glamour rune on her arm. Suddenly, her voice grew grave, her golden eyes darkening. "We are all experiments. It was no accident Gina was bitten by that vampire but she made our master mad. Gina wasn't supposed to take the angel blood. Gina thought she could take it."

"Angel blood." Jem echoed, sucking in a sharp breath of air. Glancing back down at Lucy, he bit his lip. "Lucy. She's threatening to kill your fellow Shadowhunters. How are you obliging by her rules?"

"You're not the only person she's threatened." Lucy murmured, her smile slipping. "If I don't, my sister will be killed. My master needs three different Shadowhunters, you see. A blessed," she pointed at herself, "a damned- Gina is a vampire and you, the dying. She just wants a cure-"

"She wants to kill her brother."

"Oh, and I suppose since you work for her, you know all about why." Lucy said sarcastically, narrowing her golden eyes. "She wants you and only you to kill him. You're the only one who can get remotely close to him. She needs us for the cure also. Gina's blood didn't work. I'm next. Then she wants to experiment on you. You have to agree."

"No. I don't. I can't betray my parabatai." Jem said adamantly, his hand finding the hilt of his seraph blade again. Lucy reached forward, taking his hand. She was looking at him in curiosity, muttering things under her breath.

"Your parabatai, eh?" She drew her hand back. "That's not all. There is a girl. A shape shifter. A warlock. She is special to you, isn't she?" Jem was silent, breathing softly and slowly with hesitation. Suddenly, Lucy jumped to her, her eyes flashing with fear. "My master. She's coming."

"You've learned how to sense when I arrive, Miss Lucy." Aetas called, walking into view. Her clawed hand was wrapped around Gina's wrist, who was spitting and hissing furiously at the female warlock. Lashing out, Gina raked her hand across Aetas's shoulder, leaving long claw marks in her skin. As soon as they started to bleed, Aetas waved her free hand, wincing in pain as the cuts healed. "Someone has been naughty, naughty. Gina, I trusted you to not touch the blood."

"You murdered my brothers. What else would I do?" Gina snarled, her icy blue hair stained with blood. "You said as long as I helped you, they would live, and this is what I get? You took my blood, you took my Shadowhunter rights away, you took everything."

"That's quite a nasty tongue you have, little Gina." Aetas crooned, wrapping her arm around Gina's neck until any normal being wouldn't be able to breath. Gina stayed put, her lack of need for air coming in handy. Grinning at Jem, Aetas flicked her hand, an invisible hand dragging Jem and Lucy forward. "You are both quite well behaved."

"I won't join you if that's what your saying. I'd rather die." Jem said calmly, his silver eyes laced with hatred.

"Don't worry. I will make sure of both." Aetas pressed her hand to Gina's back, the tips of her silver claws drawing blood. "Lucy told me you like music, James. Lucy said you liked songs. I have a song of my own."

Lucy opened her mouth in horror. "Don't do it. Please. I'm sure Gina did it on accident."

Aetas giggled. "Ring around the rosies-"

"Please don't-"

"Pocket full of posies-"

"Do this-"

"Ashes, ashes." Lunging forward with her claws, Aetas shoved the points into Gina's back. The vampire girl let out a choked screech, blood bubbling at her lips. Pulling her claws out of Gina's back, Aetas let Gina crumple to the ground. "They all fall down." Lucy opened her mouth in a soundless scream, her hand clasped over it. Unfreezing the hellhounds, Aetas beckoned them over, kicking the dead girl over to them. They ripped at the body savagely, their slavering jaws dripping with blood.

Jem looked away, a cold feeling settling in his stomach. "Why did you do this? How do you expect me to help you?"

"I would be more than happy to have that blue eyed boy join Miss Gina. Kill that damned warlock that is a poor excuse for my brother." Aetas whispered, her silver eyes glowing. "I already offered to bring back your parents. Kill him and I won't kill your friends and family. If I can't offer you salvation, than I will give you hate. I will make you hateful if that is the last thing I do."


	69. Last Chance

"Come on." Jem said, grabbing Will's wrist once he had been unfrozen. Looking at him in confusion, Will grimaced.

"The hellhound-"

"Can wait. There is something that I need to tell you, Will." Jem murmured, his voice edged with worry. His hands were unsteady as he pulled Will down the street, his heart beating unevenly and rapidly in his chest. By the time they had gotten to the corner, nearing where the house was, Jem was panting, his body yearning for the drug. "There is something...I didn't tell you...because I wanted to," he said between pants of air, trying to catch his breath, "believe they were...just my illness and just my...imagination. Its deadly important. Your very life and everyone else's depends on it."

"What is it?" Will asked, suddenly concerned.

"You won't believe me. I didn't believe it myself at first," Jem swallowed, "Aetas is back."

"You're right," Will said, shaking his head. "I don't believe you. It's not possible. She's in the asylum."

"That's what I thought." Jem wiped his hand across his mouth, lassitude starting to creep into his bones. "But she came and visited me. She's working on a cure, Will, using Shadowhunters to experiment on. The gold girl Gideon was talking about and Gina...They are all part of a plan. Aetas killed Gina today. She wants me to help her perfect the cure, but that's not all."

Will narrowed his eyes. "That bloody bitch."

"She wants me to kill Magnus because if she kills him, since Asmodeus favors Magnus, he'll kill her." A shot of pain surprised him. Jem clutched his chest, trying to choke down a violent cough. Limping to the house, Jem held onto Will for support, his chest burning with fire. "If I haven't killed him by tonight, she'll kill everyone. I tried to kill her, Will. I-" He doubled over, coughing up silvery red blood on the ground. "I tried and she kept re-healing herself."

"Calm down, James. You're making yourself cough." Will ordered, a hint of fear in his words. Breathing heavily, Jem sucked in a deep breath of air, taking Will's outstretched hand and holding himself steady.

"I'm okay but please, call Magnus." Jem flung red droplets of blood off his hand, watching as they hit the pavement and spread into the cracks. "If there is anything or anyone that you ever listen to, Will, I need you to do that for me. She's coming after me tonight, and she's going to kill you if I don't kill Magnus."

"So you're going to kill Magnus?" Will sputtered, his face twisted in horror.

"I need to notify Magnus of what is happening...I-" Stopping to breath, Jem leaned heavily against Will, hating the way he felt faint in a time where he felt that words could only scratch at the horror that would come when Aetas would arrive. "Maybe he can find out how to stop her and stop all this." Stepping onto the porch, Jem fumbled at the doorknob, smearing red over the metal. Finally, he clicked it open, the freezing, brisk air swirling around him like ice water. "There must be something he can do."

Will had already hurried off to Jem's bedroom hastily pouring the Yin Fen into a cup and snapping the lid closed. He forced it into Jem's hand, who sipped tiredly at it, blood smearing the glass rim. Moving to the sink, Jem slipped the glass in with the dishes, washing the blood from his hands and grabbing a disposable paper towel to wipe the blood from his mouth. Just then, Cecily and Tessa walked in, nearly jumping out of their skin when Will grabbed Cecily, whispering something in her ear. She nodded, grabbing her phone and calling someone. Tessa looked around, wide eyed. "What is going on? Is something happening?"

"Tessa," Will murmured, putting his hands on her shoulders, "you need to go to the basement and lock yourself in. Look, there is a demon warlock here and she won't think twice about killing you. Please...go."

"I don't underst-"

"I don't care. You need to go." Will demanded, his voice hitching with impatience, anger, and worry all at once. Tessa looked over, seeing Jem with a bloody paper towel in his hand. She was immediately beside him, her gray eyes as large as saucers.

"Are you alright? What is this all about?" Tessa queried, her mouth open with shock. "Is it a Downworlder who is coming for us?"

Jem closed his eyes for a moment, taking a shallow inhale of air. His eyelids fluttered open again, turning to look at Tessa. "It's a Downworlder but she's different. She has more demon blood and she wants revenge and she's sick. You're not safe here, Tessa. You're not safe. You need to listen to Will."

"Why-"

"Tess, I know you are scared and curious but I need you to go." Jem whispered, brushing his finger softly against the curve of her jaw. "I'll be fine. We will all be fine. I just don't want anyone to get hurt."

"I called him. He's going to be here any minute." Cecily announced, trying to cover the fear that cracked her words. She was dressed entirely in gear, her black hair tied up in a black pony tail at the top of her head and knives stuck into her hair tie and boots. Will opened his mouth to protest, but Cecily silenced him with a glare. "You know you need all the back up you can get."

"But you are a child."

"I have had much training. I'm bloody sixteen, Will."

"You're too inexperienced. You'll get hurt."

Will shook his head solemnly. "You are making a stupid mistake, Cecy. She is not your average enemy."


	70. Let the Rivers Run Red

"So you're saying that she wants me dead?" Magnus asked, his cat eyes slits. "That's not old news. Do you know how many people have wanted to kill me in the past few centuries?"

"Magnus-"

"Get to the good stuff. What about my assassination?"

"She wants Jem to kill you or else if she does, your father will kill her. She has gone crazy, Magnus." Cecily said, her blue eyes glimmering with concern. "She got out of the asylum-"

"Of course she did."

"What?"

"It's not like any jail or asylum can restrain her. She's too strong." Magnus shrugged nonchalantly, peeling nail polish off his finger. "I don't get why you are trying to make this my problem, though...Unless you want me to try and protect you, but then again, you would have to pay me and I am sure that you don't have half of what I charge." Sitting down on one of the armchairs, Magnus wrinkled his nose. "You all really do have poor taste in house renovation though the main room really is quite expansive. High ceilings, large floor plan, but-"

"I don't care about the god damned furniture." Will snarled, his temper running loose like a stray dog. "If you aren't dead, we all will be. Do you feel anything? Or does it not matter because you'll always find a way to go hide because you're a coward."

Magnus's eyes glinted in the pale light. "You are a foolish Nephilim, William Herondale. You are also a hypocrite. By instilling me into this unwanted adventure, are you just trying to save yourself or are you really doing it for the good of everyone? Are you sure these aren't just deranged delusions that your sick lapdog of a parabatai has seen?"

Will was furious, his lip curled in hatred. "Here we are, trying to save your life-"

"Your parabatai is dying. He's delusional. I've seen it before."

"I am still here. I am still listening." Jem said softly, though his voice carried no accusation. He was fiddling with a dagger, his eyes covered by a thicket of eyelashes. "They are not just petty hallucinations. Nothing has ever been that vivid." Cecily's mouth was bowed in a frown, her fearful expression making her look younger. There was a banging at the door, a girl around their age with a tearstained face and thick, golden curls falling like a waterfall down her back. Rising to his feet, Jem opened it, looking at her in confusion. "Lucy? What are you doing here?"

"She's coming." Lucy cried, clinging to him. "Today, after she let you go, she snapped. She's gone out of her mind."

Jem's face reddened as she wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his shirt. Magnus looked unimpressed. "Add in a damsel in distress and viola, you've got yourself a real issue. What is this thing?"

"Lucy. She's one of Aetas's prisoners." Jem managed to say, gently prying her off of him.

"I've seen you before." Cecily murmured, studying Lucy's face. "At a Clave meeting, right? Lucy Cartwright?"

"Yes." Lucy said, wiping her golden and reddened eyes. "She's after me. She's trying to find where I've gone."

"You stupid girl," Will snapped, his blue eyes blazing, "you'll lead her to us."

"Shh." Lucy said, her head snapping up and her eyes focusing outside. "Don't say-"

"No. Are you on her side or are you-"

"I'm serious! Shut up. She'll find you." Lucy whispered, sinking to the ground and peering above the window sill. Will made a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat. Lucy whimpered, raising a rune laced hand as if to shield her eyes. "She found you."

"Did you miss me?" A quiet, high voice said in a sing song voice. Lucy looked around wildly, her eyes searching for the source of the voice. "You've been very bad, Miss Lucy. Just like Miss Gina." Two silver eyes blinked at Will, a malicious smile glinting in the dark. "I see that the warlock is still alive. Did I not tell you, James, that the blue eyed boy would die if you didn't kill the warlock...my brother? You have failed me so." Aetas stood up, her silhouette barely visible in the shadows.

"Get away from my brother!" Cecily growled, standing protectively near Will. Glaring at her, Will nudged her aside, locking eyes with Aetas. Magnus stood up, his slitted eyes starting to narrow in anger.

"Aetas, dear sister. Why do you insist on killing me? We've had such a...pleasant history." Magnus sneered, blue sparks flying at his fingertips.

"Oh, Magnus, Magnus. Surely you haven't forgotten that you have wronged me so. You act as if you forgot I existed-"

"I did."

"But now you remember." Aetas grinned, growling almost catlike in her throat. Her delicate features contorted into hatred, her silvery cat eyes glowing with fury. "You humiliated my race. You hurt my family."

"Faeries care nothing of family. I assure you, the Seelie Queen thinks nothing of you."

"You're jealous because I had a mother who loved me." Aetas screeched, a silver swirl of fire sculpting itself in her hand. "You're jealous because she was all mine. You're jealous because I had what you wanted and my mother wanted me. Your mother hung herself because she was scared of you. Our father used to love me. And you took all that away from me!"

"Demons and faeries cannot love." Magnus remarked, blinking slowly. "I tried to kill you when you almost murdered Catarina and you only managed to use your anger and slaughter dozens of faeries. It was not my fault your mother was ashamed of your very presence. It was not my fault that she disowned you."

"It is! It is! It is!" She send a burst of sparks in Magnus's direction, who blocked it with a burst of blue light. Sending silver flashes of fire at him, he ducked, one sliver slicing his cheek. Warm, red blood spilled down his face and onto the hardwood floors. "You don't know the feeling of when you can't protect your friends or family. All of these Nephilim can go burn in hell." She laughed, her face contorting into a look of insanity. A fast beam of light sprung from her fingertips, headed straight for Will's chest. In the millisecond that Will had to brace himself, he felt something hit him and he fell.

A light body was on top of him, golden curls in his face. Rolling the body off of him, he kneeled down beside her. Lucy was coughing, clutching her chest which had a seared and bloody gash in it. Her face had paled, blood seeping onto her clothes. Without looking up, Will called out. "Don't just stand around! God damn it!" Though the room had become a blur of daggers and light, Will leaned down, pressing two fingers to her pulse.

"I'm dying, aren't I?" Lucy asked weakly, a small smirk on her lips. "It doesn't hurt. Don't worry about me." She giggle with all her effort. "I told you so."

Will considered reaching for his stele, but her wounds were too deep, her fingers tightening in his. He sighed. "Just lie here. You're going to be alright."

"Liar. Don't get your stele. You know my wounds are too deep." Letting her head fall to the sigh, she closed her eyes in exhaustion, her fingers still laced with his. "Angel blood has peculiar effects. Don't tell Jem."

"What?" Will asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"He deserves her." Lucy mumbled, drawing her hand back from his. "Does he know that you love her?"

"...I don't know what-"

"Yes, you do, William Herondale. You know exactly what I mean."

"...No..." Will breathed. "He doesn't and I plan to keep it that way."

"Good." She brushed her fingers back against his skin. "You're wondering why I saved you. I don't know you. It's because you love him too and he loves you." Pulling down the hem of her shirt, she pointed to a white lace of scars. "My parabatai. She...she is dead."

"Who was she?"

"Gina. Ironic, huh?" Lucy murmured, giving him a small shrug. "She was nice to me. I asked her and then she changed. It is a living hell without my parabatai. You still have a chance." She took a shuddering breath. "Save yours." Going limp against him, she smiled and died, her blood staining her faded parabatai scar.

"_Ave atque vale._" Will said softly before looking up, scrambling to get to his feet. Aetas was badly injured, but every time she was impaled with one of the runed daggers, she simply pulled it out, healing it again. Magnus shot bolts of blue, blade-like flurries at her, scratching her across her face.

"Catch." Jem called out to Cecily, tossing her his weapons belt. Cecily grabbed it, pulling the rest of the daggers out and throwing them. Taking their seraph blades from their sheaths, Jem and Will instinctively moved near each other, hissing in pain when they were struck by silver glass shards. "Will. It's not working. Nothing is working on her. We are going to die."

"No, we are not!" Will insisted, though pain shot up his shoulder when a silver bold burned a gash through his gear. He clutched it in agony, liquid fire surging through his veins. Jem stabilized him, trying to help Will regain his balance. Sending out a storm of silver sparks, Aetas screamed in frustration as Magnus blocked all her blows, sending back blue fire. "Jem, leave me. Keep fighting." Will said between gritted teeth, his breath coming in short, fast pants.

Cecily was thrown against the wall, crumpling to the floor with a sickening crunch, her fingers twitching as she groaned. Blood ran down her face from her nose, pooling on the ground when she tried to push herself up.

Turning to them, Magnus had a look of real fear in his eyes. "Go! Get out of here!" His cat eyes were flickering with fatigue, each swirl of magic he conjured taking up his energy. "Leave. I'll deal with this. It's my problem."

"Magnus!" A voice shrieked, terror laced through it. Jem looked up, the same terror clouding his eyes. Tessa was standing at the mouth of the hallway, her hands clasped over her mouth in horror. Aetas had seen her, slowly turning in her direction.

"Tessa! Get back!" Jem yelped as something cut right above his eyes, a bloodied cut dripping down his cheek and down his chin. Will pushed him off, giving him a look of understanding. Leaping up, Jem darted over to Tessa, pushing her out of the way as silver sparks pelted towards her. She was panting, her gray eyes wide in puzzlement. Helping her up, Jem held her close, pulling her against him and tightening his hands in her hair.

At first, she didn't know why Jem had so violently covered her eyes, yanking her back into the hall, but then she heard Cecily scream and Magnus hit the ground.


	71. Agony

At first, there was silence when the silver sparks had settled.

Jem had his arms still wrapped around Tessa, his hand over her eyes and facing her body away from the large and bloodied main room. Aetas was even surprised, her hands still pointed at Magnus and her chest rising and falling fast. Then there was a wretched screeching sound like nails being scraped over a chalkboard. Aetas crumpled to her knees, leaning back in an inhuman position, the top of her head only a few inches above the floor. She was screaming in pain; real, fearful agony that Jem couldn't help but look at and cringe.

Something splintered like a gunshot and Aetas fell limp onto the ground, writhing. Glancing over at Magnus, Jem could see him mumbling something in another language. The only word he could make out was Asmodeus. A black hole seemed to surround Aetas, the floor around her disappearing like nothingness. The tracery of veins beneath her skin were burning white, burning her skin through until it cracked to dry ash. Like a sonic boom, the air seemed to implode, leaving Jem's ears ringing, and then, like a demon, she disappeared, only a smudge where she had once been.

Will, still wincing from his shoulder wound, dragged himself over to Magnus, his eyes dark with dread. Uncovering Tessa's eyes, Jem still held her close, trying to calm her shaking body. Cecily went over by her brother, burying her bloodied face in his chest and, for a strange and fragile moment, Will put his arms around her, holding his sister as she sobbed into his shirt.

"It's my fault." Will whispered, his voice cracking with grief. Magnus had been the one that had tried to help him break the curse. Magnus had been the one who comforted Will when he realized everything had been a lie. And, no matter how infuriating and selfish Magnus could be, he had loyalty to the lives of others. "I didn't believe Lucy and she died in the end as well. We could have done so much more."

"No. It is no ones. It was inevitable, William." Jem murmured, his words heavy with sorrow. "Magnus knew we could not defeat her without loss. It was not him who destroyed her, but he called on his father. Aetas was right. He did favor Magnus, but we have no time to grieve now. We will, but we have many wounds to attend to...Cecy, are you alright?"

Cecily groaned in pain, her hair matted with her own blood. She tried to sit up, but she wobbled, slumping back. Will drew in a shocked breath of air, his hands quivering as he tried to pull a stele from his pocket. His hands and her body was slick with blood, making it hard to get a solid grasp and draw a rune. Peeling back her jacket, his heart quickened when he saw a bloody gash across her chest. The bleeding had stopped but her jacket and shirt were soaked in red. Will took another ragged gasp of air. "James. help me."

"Stay right here." Jem breathed in Tessa's ear, lowering her to the floor where she couldn't see the main room. Hurrying towards Cecily, he got his own stele, taking her arm and burning in amissios onto her skin. They sunk in almost instantly, but the color in her cheeks had started to return. "She needs iratzes." Jem said, trying to sound confident for Will's sake. She had lost a lot of blood, her chest hardly rising and falling, slower and slower as the blood ran on.

**~~ooo~~**

"It's been nearly two days now."

"Give her time. Plus, it's nearly midnight."

"She might not have time."

"Will, she's stable."

"Then why isn't she waking up?" Will said, pacing outside Cecily's door. "And you let bloody Gabriel inside. How is he going to help at all?"

"Let him stay." Jem said, pushing his hair from his face. "Whether you like it or not, Gabriel cares for her and he is an adept Shadowhunter. If something starts to look wrong, he will be able to tell. Calm down, Will."

"Calm down? How can I calm down?" Will snapped angrily, though concern and worry underlined his sharp words. "My older sister died because of me and Cecily is unconscious and has been for almost two days. This was my fault. How can I calm down? Never mind, you wouldn't understand."

"I do."

"Your family is dead."

Jem flinched, drawing back slightly before relaxing. "Yes. I know how it feels to lose someone, Will. We all do. Time will heal her. It will heal all of us." He touched Will lightly on his shoulder. "Go to sleep. You'll need your strength." Turning his back to Will, he went into his room, grabbing a new music sheet to study and help take his mind off things. By the time he had started memorizing the first few notes, Tessa had already slipped inside, crawling next to him.

"How is Cecy?"

"She's fine...She hasn't changed conditions though..." Jem sighed, setting his music sheet down.

"I just feel so helpless."

"There wasn't anything you could do to change what happened."

"But there was!" Tessa cried out, rubbing her eyes. "I could have Changed and done something, but instead, I stayed down and I hid."

"You have told us before that you don't wish to Change anymore, that you want to suppress your ability."

"But I could have saved Magnus, I could have at least helped Cecily not get hurt, I could have-" Jem silenced her, catching hold of her and pressing his mouth to hers. She was sweet, cold, and tasted like tears, her trembling hands tightening in his shirt. Pulling away, Jem cupped her face, rubbing his thumb lightly against her cheekbone and over her temples.

"Don't trouble yourself, Tessa."

"I've changed my mind, James." Tessa whispered, a choked cry stuck in her throat. "I want to practice doing the Change. I want to learn how to withstand it, control it, and use it. I know you want to comfort me, but I am a shape shifter. I'm not a mundane."

Jem smiled slightly. "Are you sure?"

Tessa pressed her lips to his forehead. "I've never been more positive."


	72. Jealous Irony

**Author's Note: To Jill: Just...WOW! That is by far the longest review I have ever had. :) Trust me, though I am not a girly girl, I love Magnus's flamboyant style and I would be willing to let him glitter my any time...Wow, that just sounded so wrong when I wrote it. I hope my eyes will magically morph into ones like his. Don't worry, I intend to continue this story for many, many more chapters because it isn't like one of those where they defeat a villain and then it ends. Jem is still ill, Tessa wants to harness her power, Will has unrequited feelings, Cecily is unconscious, and there are small moments of closure and acceptance that this story sorely needs. :) Thank you for your wonderful reviews (That sentence goes out to all of my reviewers!) and have a lovely morning/afternoon/night...depending on when you read this. I may be using dark magic...Or not...But perhaps I am, perchance, mayhaps, or as Simon likes to say, "Maybe"...So boring, but he is a great character too.**

Will glared halfheartedly at Gabriel, who was perched worriedly next to Cecily. Pushing his disheveled hair behind his face, he gave himself a tired glance in the hall mirror. Sleepless nights had given him dark shadows beneath his eyes and worn all their tempers thin, though his eyes were as blue as ever. _Burning blue for the both of us_, Will figured sourly, the unspoken words dry and bitter on his tongue. Trying to give himself a distraction, he made his way downstairs to the basement, his hand itching for daggers in his hand and a target in front of him.

As he neared the bottom step, he paused. There were definitely voices, a male and female, coming from the room. He would recognize Jem's voice anywhere, so he assumed the other voice was Tessa, though she sounded somewhat different. Overcome by curiosity, he pressed his ear to the wall, trying to figure out what they were saying.

"That was smoother." Tessa said, muffled through the heavy door.

"Yes, I think that when you focus more, it tends to go more favorably."

"It doesn't hurt as much as the first time."

"That's good. I would hate for it to be the same sensation of when it first happened."

"Ahhh...Releasing it still hurts."

Widening his eyes, Will couldn't help but think extremely filthy when it came to processing what they had said. _What the hell are they talking about? _Surely they weren't actually...Though, from their dialogue, they sounded as if they were doing something quite unsavory, not that Will had many objections to committing such an act, but why in the training room/basement?

Cracking open the door, Will was relieved, for once, to see Tessa entirely clothed, standing in the middle of the room with a small necklace in her hand. Jem was sitting on the edge of one of the tables, glancing over to Will. "Come to join us, have you? Tessa wanted to work on Changing."

Tessa gave Will a slow, sad smile. "I want to learn to use it to help."

Flitting his eyes from Jem to Tessa, Will couldn't help but hate himself when a pang of jealousy clawed at his heart. Even in the darkest of times, Tessa had always been beautiful. At school, Jessamine had always been called pretty, gorgeous, and immaculate, but even so, Will found Tessa a thousand times more perfect than Jessamine's doll-like face, tiny waist, and blond curls could ever be. It was a wonder how Tessa's loose, gray top managed to make her eyes look a pale, icy blue. "I didn't know you were down here. I came to practice but the room is obviously taken."

Tessa gave him a look of sympathy. "How is Cecily?"

"She's fine." Will hissed a little more bitterly than he meant. "The Lightworm is with her. I'm surprised she hasn't died yet just from his presence."

"She's going to be alright, Will." Tessa murmured, though his sharp words had pained her voice. She closed her eyes for a few moments, holding the ribbon tighter to her chest. Though, at first, nothing seemed to happen, when Tessa snapped her eyes open, they were brown. She took a shuddering breath as her dark brown waves straightened and lightened slightly, spilling down her shoulders. A dark, ragged scar formed from her temple to her lip, twisting some of her features. Brushing her hair back, she looked like an exact clone of Sophie.

"She's been improving quickly." Jem said, jumping off the table and moving over towards Will. "Not even demons or some warlocks can see through her disguise...Though faeries-" he spoke the word with unusual sourness "-can see through disguises and some glamours with ease. Magnus-"

"I don't want to talk about him." Will interrupted, a scowl forming on his face. "He was just a petty warlock."

"No, he wasn't, Will and you know he wasn't. He helped you numerous times, set time aside for you, and you once thanked him and befriended him. I don't understand why you burden yourself with such guilt-"

"It was all my fault whether you like to think that or not."

"I don't understand. You had nothing to do with her or anything about his death."

"He died and I let him die." Will said angrily, his blue eyes blazing. "We, as Shadowhunters, are sworn to protect Downworlders-" he looked over subconsciously at Tessa "-and we failed...Whatever, I guess I shouldn't be fretting over it as you say. He was a half-breed."

Jem shook his head solemnly. "And you, out of all people, shouldn't be looking down on half breeds. Your mother was a mundane and your father was a Shadowhunter. Your words don't offer anything but hypocrisies."

Tessa let out a scoff of incredulousness, dropping the Change. "So I'm just a half-breed. That's it. I'm _just _a half-breed."

"No, of course not," Will said hastily, his chest tightening in guilt.

"You are just worried about Cecily and death has been difficult on all of us," Jem sighed, his silver eyes glimmering with exhaustion. "Go rest, Will or at least go torture Gabriel or something...Anything to get you out of this awful mood."

Will furrowed his eyebrows, a look of disgust on his face. "You tell me to get out of my awful mood...after suggesting that I go into Gabriel's presence? Oh dear, how torturously ironic."


	73. Sour Reccolections

"That's a normal occurrence." Jem said briskly, his eyes sheltered as he pulled away from a reaching ifrit. "I don't normally come here, but when I do, it's hysteria over vendors and illegal...substances."

Tessa widened her eyes. "That's horrid. Why are they all so pushy for you to buy from them?"

"I think it is over here." Will said, cutting into their conversation. He looked up at the looming building before them. Downworlder towns had never been particularly kind to Nephilim and unknown wanderers, especially those who travel so silently and in the shadows. They had encountered numerous ifrits and vampires that specialized in more shady professions, their scantily covered skin marred with light bruises. Multiple times, Will had almost been dragged off into several dark alleys, the Downworlder prostitute's hotel keys jingling around their ankles.

Taking Jem's hand, Tessa's let out a small gasp at the inside of the building, seeing the crowds of different creatures selling and buying wares of all kinds. Pulling out a slip of paper, Will raised his eyes suspiciously, scanning the crowd. His eyes settled on a tall, slim faerie that was leaning against a wooden door that lead to a storage room. Striding over Will, shoved the paper into the faerie's outstretched hand, pulling a small bag of coins from his pocket. The faerie widened his grin. "Come again, Nephilim?" He glanced down at the paper. "I heard you got into some nasty business with that one warlock. She was a high time dealer in here, but she bought up all the silver poisons." He quirked into a malicious smile. "I knew your father. Good man, he was, until he got tangled up in such a love fit with a mundane. He used to buy from me."

Will hissed in anger. "Take me to the storages, you liar."

"Oh, I know that's what you would like to think, but I'm a faerie, aren't I," the faerie sneered near Will's ear, rustling his hair, "I can't lie. He was one of my best customers. Come on." He opened the door, striking a match and lighting a small candle on a hot plate, lighting the room with a dim glow. Holding the hot plate carefully, he scoured the mounds of boxes, clicking his tongue in impatience. Finally, he stopped at a box, setting the candle beside him rested precariously on an unsteady box.

"What are we looking for?" Tessa asked in a small voice, her hand tightly clasped over Jem's.

"Something in variation to what the Silent Brothers have to awaken people from sleep, but stronger." Jem whispered, his silver eyes glinting. "It's for Cecily."

"Here it is, Nephilim boy." The faerie said, holding out a vial. Will reached for it but the faerie drew back quickly. "Tisk, tisk. Payment first, then you get the wares." He said, grinning when Will hesitantly handed over the bag of coins, snatching the vial out of his hands. "Good, good. I'll lead you out." Picking the candle up, he led them back to the door, snuffing the flame out between his fingertips. "Come again soon...I insist." As Jem moved to follow Will, a hand caught at his other wrist. "You look awfully familiar."

"I assure you, you are probably mistake." Jem sighed, looking patiently at the faerie.

"No, I'm never mistaken. I did know your father as well, of course, that was before he moved with that foreigner. I was on the Downworlder council...He was a frequent member at the meetings." The faerie grinned again, his teeth sharpened to points that miniature arrowheads. "Word got around that he was killed and his only child was poisoned. You're him, aren't you?"

"What does it matter? That was the past."

"Oh, it matters most profoundly. I knew a woman who got addicted, just like you." Tightening his grip on his wrist, the faerie studied the silver of Jem's hair and eyes. "She was beautiful for a mortal. But then she got sick and died, just like where you are headed. Hopefully, family name is not an issue for you. Your lowly illness will have dragged your name down so far that you'll have to go through hell and back to reclaim it."

Jem flinched, freezing air hitting Tessa's hand as he pulled away from them. "Forgive me, but we really must be going."

"That really is such a pity. Your little friend over there, he's come near here before seeking solace in the drugs. I have other powders and naught for half priced," The faerie shrugged, letting go of Jem's wrist, "that an addict like you-"

"Shut up, just shut up." Will said angrily, pulling Tessa from the storage room. Jem's eyes were blazing, his shoulder tense with rage. Gritting his teeth, Jem walked stiffly back into the main building, clutching his arms and digging his nails into his jacket sleeves.

Tessa raised her hand to touch his shoulder. "Are you feeling alright?"

Shrugging off her hand with a cold scowl, Jem ignored the look of concern on her face. "I have something else I need to do. Don't worry about me."

"James." Will said cautiously, following his parabatai. "It's dangerous..." But Jem had already disappeared into the crowd of people, the bustling Downworlders hiding him from view. Taking Tessa's wrist, Will bit his lip, pulling her back out of the building and onto the streets.

"Did I do something?" Tessa mumbled, looking guiltily down at her feet.

"Jem is kind, but he is proud. He has always been proud. His illness is not easy on him." Will said softly, trying to mask his defeated expression. "When family matters are brought into the conversation, he does not take kindly to them, especially when they ridicule his illness. He hates it when people fret over his sickness because he feels like his family name has been ruined because of him. It is not your fault that he mistakes your concern for pity. He does not want that sort of attention."

"Oh." Tessa's eyes darkened. "What did the faerie mean about you coming here?"

Will froze, regret apparent on his face. "I was younger and I got upset. It was one time. You musn't trouble yourself with past matters whether they are mine, Jem's, yours, or anyone else's. They awaken dark memories that should be buried because they are most...unsavory."


	74. Coy

By the time Tessa and Will had gotten back to the house, their clothes were damp with winter mist. Tessa shivered, rubbing her arms in a feeble attempt to get warm. Stepping onto the porch, she looked over at Will, who looked comfortable and used to such gloomy weather. "It's always so freezing here. How do you manage?"

"_October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy drafts that bit at exposed hands and faces._" Will quoted, reaching for the doorknob with his damp hands. It took him a few moments to open the door, but when he did, Tessa sighed in relief. Someone had turned on the heater inside and it warmed her face and fingertips so the cold was slightly more bearable. Will snickered at her pleased expression. "You look like you've just seen the worlds biggest supply of chocolate."

Tessa snapped out of her thoughts. "Chocolate? Why would anyone like that poison?" She shuddered in disgust.

Will was staring a her with enormous, blue eyes, his mouth slightly ajar. "You. Don't. Like. Chocolate? You disgust me, Tessa. I thought you were better than that. How could one not like such a heavenly thing like chocolate?"

"It's really gross." Tessa said, tossing her gloves onto the couch. "Its all cloyingly sweet and its too rich and...ugh."

"You are now a certified lunatic. By the Angel, you have just dropped down to Gabriel's level. I might need to go down to the basement and murder myself with a dagger. I certainly haven't done my job in life."

"So, what you're saying," Tessa queried, raising an eyebrow, "is that you're life purpose is to try and make people like chocolate."

"Precisely. Even Jem-"

"Where is he going?" Tessa asked, frowning.

"I don't know. He's not stupid like I am so he won't go off and murder a whole werewolf pack or throw himself off a bridge just for kicks, so he'll be fine. I can sense it." Raising his hand instinctively to the parabatai rune near his collarbone, Will looked off outside, his eyes lighter than usual. Pulling the vial from his pocket, he set it on a side table. "He'll be alright and back probably tonight." Glancing over, he studied the vial. "I would like to give it to Cecy now, but her wounds aren't healed up all the way yet. This will help, though. It better. It cost a fortune. I'm going to go practice throwing. care to join me?"

"Meaning, can you come to the basement with me, Tessa, so I can show off to you?" Asked Tessa, giving him an unimpressed and suspicious look. "You know I'm absolutely awful at everything weapon-wise and that you don't need practice. I already know you are good at it."

"Then I can help you. Gideon expects us to train you to a point before we move back to the Institute." Will said, moving down the hallway and down the stairs. He opened the door that led to the basement before peering back up the stairs. "Are you coming or not?" Poking her head at the mouth of the stairs, Tessa gave him a defeated look, joining him in the basement.

"I'm telling you, William, that I will probably skewer you before I skewer the target anytime soon."

"Nonsense. I'm both brilliant at dodging and throwing." Will scoffed, spinning a dagger at his fingertips. He placed it in her hand before moving her body so she was in front of the target. "Stand up straight. Your positioning is wrong."

"I've never done this before...besides last week, but I don't remember!"

"Here." He took her hand raising it and angling it correctly. "When you throw, try to...Never mind, that's more advanced. you can use your whole arm if you want to, but as you get more adept, you just use your wrist." Tessa gripped the hilt, her fingers trying to find a comfortable place to settle. Snapping forward, she threw with all her might, hitting the target on the second ring in. Will shrugged. "You're okay so far."

"So far? What am I doing wrong?"

"You're too stiff when you do it, like a...like a...like you."

"That doesn't make any sense. You can't compare me to me."

"I just did." Will smirked. "If you want, I could think of filthy ideas to compare you to instead."

"Pervert."

"Amateur."

"You remind me of Gabriel."

"I am not like Gabriel!" Will muttered with mock bitterness. He took a dagger from the table, throwing it without much effort and still managing to hit the middle target. Slipping another dagger into Tessa's hand, he angled her arm, moving behind her to assess her stance. Holding onto her wrist, he tilted her head towards the target. "Keep your eyes on what you are aiming at." He said softly, his fingers brushing softly against her wrist. Tessa tried to focus on the target but her hand was quivering, rendering her unsteady. "Is anything the matter...Miss Gray?"

"No. Nothing." Tessa whispered, her chest tightening. She looked up, his coy, blue eyes locking in on hers. They were almost violet, a frame of dark lashes shading them as they turned to slits. His hair was almost in his eyes, dark and waving right above the back collar of his shirt. The silence in the room was tedious, her heart thumping in her chest as his eyes focused on her mouth.

"You truly have got an awful stance." Will said suddenly, the sly look disappearing from his expression. He looked at her innocently, his hands focused on nothing but putting her in the correct position. Tessa's face reddened. He had been playing her, she realized.

"Oh, yes. I can never get it right, no matter how hard I try." Tessa said, frustration clear in her voice.

"Don't worry, Tessa," Will murmured, stepping back, "you will get it in time. With practice comes perfection...Of course," he smiled smugly, "if you think of becoming better than I am at this skill, which is nearly impossible, I'll just have to kill you."

"You wouldn't!"

"You're right. I'll just torture you with this singer person I found on the radio." Will shuddered with horror in his expression. "I'm going to kill the person who invented Justin Bieber...whoever he is."

**Author's Note: To Jill: BAD PUN- Magnus is the Bane of my existence.**


	75. Church

The weather sucked.

The air was cold. The wind was hot. It was cloudy, but the water was too bright. There was mist in the air. It was humid. Jem sighed. For any insane Londoner, the weather was beautiful. For Jem, it was awful, not that he really cared at the moment. The ever darkening sky cast smears of pink, orange, and red across the gray horizon, reflecting on the luminous, blue water that lapped pitifully at the Blackfriars Bridge. He hadn't gone there to the bridge in quite a while; he had been preoccupied by more important endeavors and missions.

Sitting down on one of the benches, Jem looked over the side. What little temper had was defused by then, the anger that had once scattered his thoughts drowning in a pit of self control and patience. Several mundanes walked past him, giggling about their easy, pointless lives that did nothing but cause distractions._ There was once a world where there were only mundanes. _Jem reminded himself, feeling a little less guilty for thinking such ridiculing thoughts.

A small meow stole him from his train of thinking. He looked down, a large, blue-gray tabby purring and curling around his ankle. There were many strays near the bridge because there were mundanes that often ate on the bridge, sometimes leaving food trash lying carelessly around. Reaching down, Jem picked it up, setting it on the bench beside him. It meowed for his attention, butting it's furry head against Jem's arm and kneading his jacket. Jem smiled, scratching the cats forehead. He had always been one for cats, always stopping to pet them or feed them when he had the chance.

Rising to his feet, Jem laughed inwardly as the cat followed him tirelessly down the length of the bridge, stopping only once to sniff a mayonnaise smeared aluminum wrapper someone had discarded. It was a short walk from the Blackfriars Bridge to the cusp of Saint Paul's Cathedral. The gray cat had taken an unusual interest in it, slipping in and out of the corridors before leaping back out to bat at Jem's shoelaces. Sauntering over to a cross, the cat tilted its head before gnawing on it with enthusiasm. Jem knelt down, picking the cat up and holding it to his chest.

"You're not supposed to chew on that. You wouldn't want one of the upkeep workmen to kick you out." Jem said fondly as the cat held onto him with painful claws in his jacket. It meowed pitifully. "For mundanes, crosses at churches and cathedrals are sacred to them. At least you don't need a religion. You're a cat. You don't go to church." The cat meowed in agreement, it's flattened face stretching in acceptance. "Church-" the cat meowed again, widening it's eyes, "-your name can be Church. You are a little church cat aren't you." Jem murmured, the cat's whiskers brushing against his cheek. "Now I'm talking to cats. You're a Persian aren't you. Will isn't very fond of cats. He would rather see them on the streets." Church let out a low growl, it's golden eyes narrowing. Jem was utterly delighted. "My thoughts exactly."

**~~ooo~~**

The sun had fallen beneath the clouds and horizon when Jem had gotten back, his arms aching from holding Church. The enormous cat had been purring the entire walk back, rumbling loudly in his chest. Setting the cat down on the slick ground, Jem opened the front door, ushering the cat inside. Looking down, Jem sighed at the sight of his shirt which was littered with brown paw prints.

When Jem looked back down at Church, his eyes went enormous. Church was lying on his back with all four legs sticking up in the air, his tail twitching angrily. He hissed at the ceiling. Grabbing Church and holding him back up, Jem grinned. Church had started purring and kneading his shoulder again, his eyes half closed in contentment.

Carrying the filthy cat to the bathroom, Jem prayed to the Angel that the cat wouldn't claw his eyes out for giving him a bath. Instead, the cat leapt in, lapping at the warm water. Church yowled happily as Jem scrubbed it's fur until the water was tinged with brown. Behind the closed door, there was a knock. "What the hell are you doing in there? It's loud as heck and...when did you get back?"

Standing up, Jem cracked the door open. "Just now. I found-"

"What the hell is that thing?" Will asked, a look of disgust on his face. Church bristled feebly, his wet fur not exactly poofing up. Letting out a low growl, Church glared at Will with all the hatred a cat could muster.

"It's a cat. He is quite smart, actually." Jem shrugged, moving back beside the bathtub to drain it. Grabbing a towel from the shelf, he wrapped the giant cat inside of it, making Church look more like a burrito than an animal.

"I don't want a cat."

"That's fine. Then he can be my cat. He's gentle."

"To you."

"All animals love me. I can't help it."

"Kill it and see how much that creature likes you then."

Church hissed as Jem frowned. "He doesn't like you anymore."

Launching himself out of the towel, Church tackled Will with all thirty pounds of cat that he could muster. Wrenching the cat off of him, Will held it at a distance, wincing when Church clawed at his wrists and arms. "James! Take this god damn cat and kill it. He's ruining my perfection. If this ugly cat ruins my good looks, I swear I am going to kill you." Will spat, shooting daggers at the cat with his blazing blue eyes. Taking the cat from Will's scratched hands, Jem furrowed his eyebrows at the cat's grumpy expression.

"He'll behave and he'll probably want to live outside. We have one of those dog panels that Church can use." Jem reasoned, setting the cat behind him.

"Whatever. As long as he doesn't come close to me."

Jem smiled. "Don't worry, he already hates you so I doubt he'll want to spend time with you."


	76. Feline

"You're distant tonight, James."

"I'm thinking."

"Are you thinking about this afternoon about what happened at the markets?"

"...No."

The silver boy was lying, his arm around the grey eyed girl. The nice boy with the sweet smell was very sad and he didn't want to talk. The brown haired girl was impatient and curious. How did she not sense he was hurting? Humans were dumb, confusing creatures...some of them. Stretching out his paws, Church leapt up on the end of the bed, staring in silence at the couple. Curling his tail around his paws, he bent down, licking his poufy fur. It was cold and tasted like water, clean and easy to brush through with his rough tongue.

The brown haired girl turned back to the silver boy. "When are we going to the Institute?"

"I don't know." The silver boy sighed. _I'll go comfort you, Silver! _Church thought gladly, curling up next to the silver boy. Light and graceful fingers ran through his fur, scratching at his ears. "Hi Church. What have you been up to?" Church purred in satisfaction. _Face it, Brown Hair, he likes me more than everyone here._

"Jem?"

"Hmm?"

"Never mind." The brown hair girl clutched at the sheets, resting her head against his shoulder. Humans were indeed more puzzling than Church imagined. First, the girl had called Silver, James, and now she called him Jem. _Make up your mind, human! _Padding up onto Silver's/Jem's/James' chest, he stretched across him, kneading the sheets. Silver/Jem/James let out an "oof", picking Church up and setting him down beside him. Flopping over, Church stretched out, biting softly at Silver's/Jem's/James' finger.

"By the Angel, Church." Silver/Jem/James exclaimed, pulling back his finger. In retaliation, Church yowled pitifully, pacing over the brown haired girl. "Tessa, is he bothering you?" _Tessa...So that is her name. I hope she doesn't have as many names like Silver/Jem/James._

"He's fine." Tessa murmured, her voice laced with exhaustion.

"Just tell me if you want me to put him on the floor, Tess."

_Drat._

Tessa/Tess reached up, running her hand over Church's back. He growled, moving to sit protectively next to Silver's/Jem's/James' head. Church's stomach flipped. Giving Tessa/Tess a moment to close her eyes before demanding sustenance, Church meowed incessantly, widening his enormous, golden eyes and giving him sad kitty cat eyes. On the streets, his sad eyes had almost always worked...Of course, there was that one time when an insane warlock woman with silver eyes, but nothing like Silver/Jem/James, had taken him and injected him with some sort of glowing substance, but Church couldn't remember much before that. He didn't like the silver warlock woman very much. She was too loud.

Jumping back off the bed, Church landed quietly on the floor, his fur sticking out in all directions. Padding out of the cracked door and into the hallway, Church sniffed the air. There was something very delicious nearby. Following the salty scent, he came to another room. Church hissed. It was the mean boy, the one Silver/Jem/James had called Will, William, Idiot, Crazy and Parabatai. Church knew he couldn't like the mean boy, especially since he had so many names. That was a definite sign for trouble.

Nudging open Will's/William's/Idiot's/Crazy's/Parabatai's room, Church prodded his flat nose around the room. The boy was on his bed with the covers thrown off and all his regular clothes still on. _Why do humans where skin over skin? _Church wondered, rearing up on his hind legs. Will's/William's/Idiot's/Crazy's/Parabatai's face was covered by a book, giving Church the notion that he used books to cover his eyes at night...or maybe he just fell asleep. Church was still utterly confused. Then, while batting at a bag, the source of the smell was uncovered. A whole, opened bag of chips were lying carelessly on the ground. Diving into the bag, Church tore into it's contents, grabbing hold of the lovely, crunchy, salty chips.

Unfortunately, Will/William/Idiot/Crazy/Parabatai awakened at once, swearing in a language that Church had never heard was, though it sounded quite threatening. The blue eyed boy pushed Church away. Lashing out, Church struck the hand reaching towards him with his claws out before moving to bite the boy's ankle. It was mildly amusing to see the Will/William/Idiot/Crazy/Parabatai jumping around on one foot in pain. _Does that make them feel better? _Church pondered, looking at him in curiosity.

The boy had sadness in his eyes as well.

He was scary.

He was mad.

Jumping on one foot definitely didn't make him feel any better.

Swishing his tail from side to side, Church turned his back to the angry boy. Glancing back, Church gave a lazy chirp before surveying the hallway again. Behind a closed door, there was a sad smell. Sad smells made Church very interested. Jiggling the door from underneath, it was loud as the wood hit up against the door jam. In the door, there was a doorknob. _That's it! _

Reaching up, Church pulled down the metal, purring when it opened with a satisfying click. There was a very tall, slim boy with his head rested up against the wall, his eyes closed. The sandy haired boy didn't stir as Church made his way up onto the bed, slinking over a girl's body that was obscured by lines of blankets. Beneath all the blankets and cool air and outside scents, Church could smell blood. _Blood is good to me. Blood is bad to humans. Such silly people._ There was a long cut running alongside her shoulder. Church meowed again. _Cut is bad for me. Cut is bad for human too._

Studying the girl's face, Church noted that she looked like Will/William/Idiot/Crazy/Parabatai. They both had dark hair and the same shape to their faces, though hers was more delicate. The sick girl took in a rasping breath of air. It sounded painful.

Church blinked at her sympathetically. _That's why the blue eyed boy was so sad._

**Author's Note: I like Church. I thought he needed his own chapter. :)**

**I have the sudden urge to vent about the Infernal Devices' possibility of being made into a TV show. Ok. THESE BOOK CHARACTERS ARE PERFECT! The TV show will not do it justice, though I will watch the first or so episode. Never will they ever find a Jem perfect enough for, well, Jem. Sure, Anthony Neely isn't bad looking, but he isn't nearly as perfect as Jem is and Jem doesn't look as Asian I don't think...Cassie Clare said that hardly anyone could tell.**

**I don't want them to ruin casting like they ruined CoB. I loved the people in real life (I met Cassie and the CoB cast at comic con! So awesome) but the movie did not potray them well. Joshua Anthony Brand is PERFECT for Will, but according to Cassie, he is too young. :( There will be no being perfect enough for Jem or Will. How will out world live if they ruin the cast?**

**Ok. My venting is done. :) I like cookies. Not the computer kind where they hack your stuff though.**

**There might be Wessa. There will be Jessa. **

**Jem:** What is Wessa? Is it like the...I really have no clue.

**Tessa: **Wessa. Is it like...Wessa Rose instead of Nessa Rose from Wicked?

**Will: **I have a feeling I will like this.

**Jem: **What is Jessa? Does it stand for just Tessa...Because then I wouldn't be in the story, would I? I...I mean, you can do that, but...ahem...No, I'm not upset. I'm just swallowing the tears of injustice of having an unfair writer.

**Tessa: **Jessa...Sounds very interesting.

**Will: **Screw this. I memorized an entire dictionary and I still don't know what Jessa is. The world has failed me.


	77. Concious

"They have almost stopped bleeding." Gabriel said, looking affectionately at Cecily. "Her wounds, I mean."

Will scowled, glaring at Gabriel. "I wish you were hurt and not her."

Holding Will's gaze, Gabriel held his temper and instead, brushed a finger absentmindedly over Cecily's hand before sighing. "Me too." There was nothing that softened the hatred between the two of them but, by the silence and lack of objections Will made, they had agreed on something. "My brother needs me for something. I'm going to go but notify me if anything changes."

"Over my dead body." Will hissed, staring at Gabriel as he saw his way out. This was the one time Will wished Church would come into the room so it could murder Gabriel. That cat had been such a nuisance, stealing chips in the night. What kind of cat, sane or not, stole chips? He would kill Jem later. It had seemed that Jem had this odd ability of attracting cats, not harmless animals like finches or rabbits. It had to be a cat...if it had been a blue eyed, black haired rabbit that Will got to name Frodo, then it might have been okay, but no...it wasn't. Will pushed down that thought with a shudder. He was not about to become a _Lord of the Rings_ fanboy.

Going over to Jem's door, he opened it. He had been in there the entire day, not even coming out to silence Church's cries. Jem was sitting on his bed, his laptop perched on one knee. It was strange, using such mundane devices when they left the Institute but Will had to admit, some websites, though a few were mind scarring, were interesting to explore.

Noticing Will for the first time, Jem snapped the laptop closed, setting it carefully beside him. He looked exhausted, his silver hair disheveled and his eyes dark. "What are you doing here, Will?"

"What are you looking up?"

"Nothing." Jem sighed, picking up his laptop and setting it on his desk. "It's none of your business. What do you need?"

"You're awfully bitter today, James." Will noted, looking at Jem with suspicion. Raising his hand to push his hair from his eyes, Will gave a defeated sigh. "Something is the matter. You are normally not this way. Is it about yesterday?"

"By the Angel, Will, I'm fine." Jem said insistently, his voice growing sharp. "I'm just tired and I'm thinking. Go on and off on your way. You're telling me I'm not like myself when you're acting just as strange. Go dote over yourself or do something normal. You're almost eighteen, Will. I'm eighteen. I'm not a child who needs tending to." Jem had an angry flame in his eyes, burning holes into Will. Despite this, Church jumped up next to Jem, purring.

"This is exactly what I'm talking about." Will snapped, concern wearing his words thin. "You're normally patient and helpful and instead, you've taken to running off and locking yourself up in your room."

"I didn't lock myself up. The door was unlocked."

"That's not my point, James, and you know it. You're smarter than you let on and you know that what I'm saying is true. You _have _been acting different." Will paused, his mouth slightly parted. "We've fought too much for parabatai. I'm done with all this crap." Will murmured, turning away from Jem. "I'm going to use the vial we got on Cecily since her injuries have healed...Not that you would care."

Jem gave him a wounded look, but stayed put, his mouth set in a steady line of defiance. When Will slipped outside, Church curled up in his lap, meowing as if to say, "I'll keep you company." Reaching down, Jem stroked Church's flattened head, drawing his hand back when the cat licked his finger. Church stood up on his hind legs, batting at fuzz in the air and glaring at it as the fuzz landed on his nose. Taking his laptop and reopening it, Jem pulled up his email, clicking on his inbox. Replying to his new message, he wrote: _Next week. I am coming._

**~~ooo~~**

Drawing the empty vial from Cecily's parted mouth, Will held his breath in anticipation. Cecily was limp, the rising and falling of her chest the only movements she was making. Tessa leaned over Cecily, her gray eyes wide with worry. "Is she going to wake up?"

"Aetas was powerful. The magic Cecily absorbed was too strong for her to take." Will said, his voice heavy with concern. He looked tired, and distraught, a hint of annoyance ghosting across his expression. "Though, this drug is supposed to not only strengthen your ability to deflect magic, but fight it as well. This should be weakening the effects of the magic...hopefully."

"There was so much blood..."

"It's a Shadowhunter's life. We are born, we live, and then, if we are lucky, we die old or an honorable death. Many of us are killed young. It is not unusual for a Shadowhunter to die in their twenties."

"That's horrible."

"It's life." Will looked away from his sister, his mouth pressed in a grim line. Clasping his hands in front of him in resignation, Will's posture sagged slightly as if looking at Cecily had pained him. "She should be waking up soon."

"I might be more inclined to wake up," a soft voice whispered, filled with exhaustion, "if Tessa wasn't staring at me so intensely. I must look dreadful."

"Cecy?" Will smiled to himself, a look of affection crossing over his features when he glanced back at her. Though her eyes were only half open, he could see her looking at him sadly through her mascara and eyeliner smudged eyes. She winced, the deep, but almost healed, gash in her shoulder throbbing with a strong ache. "Are you feeling alright?"

"No. I am not alright at all." Cecily murmured, letting her eyes fall closed again. "I cannot help but feel somewhat guilty."

"I know. Me too."

Cecily looked over at Tessa. "Have you drugged him?"

Tessa pursed her mouth in confusion. "What?"

"He's too nice right now. This is definitely not the Will I remember...He's less stupid and rude." Cecily rubbed her eyes tiredly, smearing her makeup even more. "Perhaps I'll drug all your drinks when Will turns eighteen. We are still going to have to celebrate, even if he does do something stupid and manage to kill himself."

"Then what good is it to throw me a party if I'm not present?" Will asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"You will be present." Cecily mumbled, rolling over and burying her face in her pillow. Her voice muffled, her hands pushing her hair from her face. "You can be the piñata."


	78. A Chance for a Cure

"Where are you going?" She asked, pouring more sugar into her cup before setting the empty packet in mound of other empty sugar packets. It was a wonder that she hadn't died from diabetes yet.

Jem looked down, hesitation in his stance. "Out."

"Oh...Okay." He was glad that she didn't question his motives, instead reaching for her coffee and taking an enormous gulp. Giving Church a small scJratch on his back before opening the front door, Jem shivered. It was especially chill in London that day, mist hanging in the air and brisk breezes rustling his hair. Hurrying to his car, he slipped inside. Though he was somewhat used to old weather, he could see his breath and his fingers were freezing. Turning the car on, Jem thanked the Angel for granting cars heaters. A pitiful meow wailed from the back of his car. Jem looked confusedly behind him.

"Church? What are you doing here?" Jem wondered aloud, grabbing the cat and opening the car door. Church just flopped over lazily, giving Jem a smug look as he refused to go out. Prodding Church in his side, Jem tried to push Church from the car, but thirty pounds of a fat, defiant, and lazy cat would need more than just a simple push. However, Jem just shut the door with a sigh, ignoring the triumphant purr that emanated from Church's throat. "Whatever, just don't cause any trouble."

**~~ooo~~**

"Why did you want to meet here?" Jem asked, sitting down at the café table.

"Busy place, less attention." The warlock said, an impatient look on her face. "We need to make this quick. Portals take time to make and I only have a few hours. Did Magnus send you. We're good friends."

"Magnus...He, um, no...He didn't send me." Jem sighed, looking absentmindedly outside the window. "He's busy," Jem felt horrible for lying, "but he's talked about you. He say's that you are one of the post powerful warlocks he's known, and that you cheat at cards."

"_He_ said that?" Catarina arched an incredulous eyebrow, pushing back her dark hair. Though to mundanes she looked like an everyday passerby sporting dark skin and dark hair, Jem could peel away her glamour easily. If she didn't glamour her warlock mark, she definitely would have gotten stares because of her bright blue skin and stark white hair. "I've seen your particular case before, though, on a more serious note. Your parabatai lurks around trying to find a cure in the Downworld markets, that I know."

"...How? Have you seen him?"

"No. He's quite well known but your face is easy enough to read. You don't strike me as the type of Shadowhunter to come do this yourself. You try to hide your illness. You must be really desperate for a cure."

"...I wouldn't say desperate but..."

"It's for someone. Your parabatai and a girl. A warlock girl. And because you're afraid of your lowly reputation because others think you are a burden rather than-"

"Are you in my head?"

"_Now_ I might be using magic." Catarina admitted, shrugging her blue shoulders. She pushed back curls of her white hair, pursing her lips in concentration. "I can try to help but, unfortunately, I've only worked on one other person with your condition. They...didn't make it."

"I've always accepted the final destination of my life but now, I can't. I can't leave Will, he's...he's...my parabatai and I feel like I have some sort of obligation between us to try. I don't want to tell him that the drug hasn't been working as well as it normally has and I have to take twice as much just to make it through the day. There must be something you can do to help me." Jem murmured, his eyes dark. "You're right. I'm not one to do this normally. I've never liked it when Will tried to search for a cure, but it isn't about me anymore."

"Look, I'll see what I can do. I'm coming here for a month anyway for work reasons." Pulling out a small card, Catarina handed it to him. "You have my business email but here is my Downworld address here. You can come here when I come back to London."

"I thought you didn't work with Downworlders."

"It's not often that I do."

"...Thank you. I know the chances of finding a cure are slim to nothing but-"

"I'll try my hardest." Catarina smiled softly. "Saving lives...It's what I do."

"Please, just, whatever you do, don't tell Will. He's awfully protective about it and tends to get worried too easily." Jem explained, standing up. Making his way back outside and to the car, Jem touched his parabatai rune instinctively. _I might have a chance_, Jem thought, not knowing how to react. He had spent the last six years preparing himself for his death and now, he might actually get a cure.

_Why are you really doing this? Stop pretending it's all for your parabatai. _A small, quiet voice asked in his head. Jem shook it off, his fingers fiddling with his silver ring. Taking the slick door of the car and opening it, Jem froze. There were torn music sheets everywhere on the front passenger seat, balled up and ripped into shreds. Everything Jem had written; gone and torn beyond use. Church let out a drawled self satisfied meow, licking one paw and swiping it over his whiskers, rubbing off a piece of paper from his fur. For a moment, Jem just stood there, dumbfounded, before shaking his head slowly.

"You awful cat." Jem groaned, getting into the car and picking the rest of the paper from Church's massive pouf of fur. Church meowed in a joyful agreement.


	79. Million Miles Away

Jem looked down at the card the warlock had given him, running his eyes over the words and the address. According to Magnus, Catarina Loss was the most skilled healer he had met and was well known in the mundane world of medicine. Glancing over, he saw the empty vial that Will had retrieved from the Downworlder markets, strewn across the table. Jem's eyes darkened when he recalled the less than favorable faerie. However, he pushed away unsavory thoughts, shoving the card in his pocket. It wasn't as if he was going to act upon the faerie's words...was he? Church growled disapprovingly as if to discourage Jem from pondering over such hateful thoughts.

"Where were you?" Will asked, walking into the main room, glaring momentarily at the cat. There were grass stains on Church's blue gray fur where he had rolled and torn in the grass on some other person's unfortunate yard.

"Hyde Park." Jem said quickly and smoothly. He was an excellent liar, sometimes, but he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. "Church has been in an awful mood, meowing incessantly and refusing to move. I thought exercise would do him good." Jem added, brushing off the purring cat. "And he's not afraid of ducks, so he makes a much more lovely companion because he isn't running away from every movement in the lake...unlike a particular someone I know."

"Who? I can't seem to think of anyone who would fit such a description."

Jem sighed, a pained smile on his mouth. "You were always thick-headed sometimes."

**~~ooo~~**

Jem. That's what Church had settled on. After all, that's what Tess/Tessa and the mean boy called him the most though they didn't talk too much anymore. After raiding the counter and eating the remaining yellow, creamy, melting, salty thing, Church sauntered into Jem's room, plopping down with a very full, very satisfied meow. Jem had closed the door behind Church, his face screwed in a tight look of concentration as he picked up the noise maker again. Church liked the noise maker.

It was sweet and soothing; Church found himself staring at the boy with one eye open as he played, his golden eyes glinting with curiosity. Yawning, Church squeaked out a meow, rolling over onto his back and closing his eyes. Jem sighed, his noise maker ceasing to emit the wonderful noise church had nearly fallen asleep to. "I still don't forgive you for tearing up my music sheets." Jem said in mock bitterness. Church opened his eyes, putting as much sadness in his meow as possible. Scratching Church between his eyes, Jem sat down and smiled helplessly. "Maybe I do. You can't keep getting into trouble, though, Church."

Church didn't really care what Jem was saying as long as he kept scratching right on his forehead. _You pet me and make sound with the noise maker, and I don't get in trouble, deal? _Purring, Church padded up next to him, laying across the nice boy's lap. The serenity of the moment was broken when the brown haired girl entered the room. Looking up, Jem stopped scratching Church, his silvery eyes muted.

"Tessa. I thought you were with Cecily. I thought I remember her mentioning she wanted to go shopping."

"We were going to," Tess/Tessa said, "but she wasn't feeling well enough." Church bit Jem's finger impatiently, chirping in contentment when the scratching on his forehead came back again. "...You seem to like that cat very much." Church was overjoyed. _You're just jealous that he wants to spend time with me. He is good. He is better than you. You don't give me food, therefore, you are not good._

"Church is an interesting cat. He's quite," Jem paused, staring at Church, "intelligent."

"My aunt always wanted a cat."

"My uncle hates cats."

"Elias...right? He live close, doesn't he?"

Church growled when Jem tensed, the boy clearly not wanting to talk about family matters. Tess/Tessa did not notice it. Stupid girl. "Idris."

"That must be nice."

Picking Church up, Jem studied his flattened face before holding him to his chest. "No. It's not."

"Why not?" The brown haired girl was curious; she was always asking so many questions. She sat down next to Jem, reaching over to pet Church. Though he made no attempt to stop her, he narrowed his eyes in annoyance, growling. _You have tainted my fur._

Despite Jem's hidden and pained expression, he looked down at church, opening his mouth slowly to speak. "He and my father weren't close, especially since my father moved away from their family. They lived in Idris, a place where many Shadowhunters aspire to live because it is close to Alicante, the source of the Shadowhunter's political power."

"Why was that such a problem?"

Jem sighed. "Elias hated that my father gave that up to be with a _foreigner_. And since I refused to live in Idris with him and I'm an addict, he feels that I'm a disgrace to the family."

"That must be awful."

"I don't really care." Jem lied, setting Church back down in his lap. His eyes were shaded by silver eyelashes, casting shadows across his cheekbones. "Each Shadowhunter family has accusatory labels. Carstairs is pride, Fairchild is disloyalty to their peers, Herondales is their cunning bitterness, Lovelace is selfishness; the list goes on. It really doesn't matter. They're just stereotypes even if they are true."

"Is that why you got upset when the faerie was talking to you?"

Standing up, Jem set Church down on the ground. "It's Church's dinnertime. I should go feed him." J_em equals petting and food. Food is good. _Church thought happily twining around Jem's ankle. _Yes. It is my dinnertime all the time._

Tess/Tessa looked at him, a hint of puzzlement on her features. "Are you sure you're alright? You're so distant, it seems like you are a million miles away." The nice boy covered his pained expression with neutrality, opening the door. Church was confused, his head tilted to one side. _Distant? Million miles away...my Jem? Silly girl, he is not away. He is standing right in front of you, you just can't see him yet._


	80. Yanluo

_Their eyes were cold and angry._

_Cecily hadn't noticed though, her fingers wound in her brother's sleeve with this undying fear that something awful was going to happen. The burning wind whipped at her face, searing her skin as grains of sand cut at her arms and face. Hills of rock and sand lay at their feet; the land emaciated with sickness. They were all accoutered in gear, but she couldn't make out details that misted before her eyes. It was as if she was looking through an foggy aperture, smudged and worn by the embrace of time. Glancing to her side, she saw a smudge of silver through the swirl of dust, disappearing as the figure moved from her._

_Trying to call out, Cecily's voice was raw from the hot, dry air, her shouts lost to the heaviness that hung like sickness in the air. Faintly, there was a shadow cast above them all, fire blazing in the sudden darkness. A flash of light like an implosion shook the sullen world to it's core and Cecily found that they were falling. Falling into the void of shadows and fire; low voices whispering, "Wrath will be your oblivion. Oblivion will be his kingdom, and on the throne of chaos he will sit."_

_Then there were wings around her, softening her fall and she screamed- burning like a falling angel into the darkness._

Cecily groaned, pulling herself from sleep. Her hair was pasted to her forehead with sweat and she was radiating with fever and distress. It had been the fourth night terror that week after waking up, her sleep constantly plagued by gruesome images and ominous omens. Even so, Cecily pushed it off as a side effect of the recent events that had shaken everyone up. Swinging her legs out of her bed, she made her way out of her room and into the kitchen, ignoring the fact that it was almost one in the morning and that she ought to be sleeping.

Taking a glass from the shelf, Cecily scooped ice into it, grimacing when she dropped a cube on the floor with a crunch. Thankfully, Church looked at it lazily, batting it close to him and licking it profusely. At least that cat was good for something besides keeping Jem company. Filling the cup with water, she sipped at it tiredly, the cool water soothing her aching throat. It was immediately known to her that she was not alone when Church pricked his ears up, hastily finishing the ever melting ice cube.

Looking around, Cecily turned on the kitchen light, blinking blearily. "Who is it?"

"It's me." A soft voice said, turning into the kitchen. Tessa yawned, her gray eyes large and dark against her pale skin. "It's a fancy seeing you up and well. Can't sleep?"

"Yeah..."

"Me neither. I guess, things just aren't going the way I thought they would. Restless nights are common."

"It's hard when you're not raised in this sort of environment." Admitted Cecily, setting her glass down on the counter. She pushed back her hair, untangling it with her fingers. "It'll get easier, but...I understand what you mean. We were all shaken up."

Tessa swallowed, sitting down at the counter stool, biting her lip. "Cecily, you don't have to say if he wants to keep it private but, erm...who is Yanluo?" Tessa asked, curiosity lacing her voice. Cecily took a sharp breath, her blue eyes glittering as she looked at Tessa. "He's never mentioned it in any conversation but he mumbles about it sometimes. I can hear him talk about Yanluo when he's upset."

"With everything that's been going on, I don't blame him for wanting to talk about it."

"All I know is that sometime in his life, there was some sort of demon that made him ill and he can't find a cure for it, so he takes the drug. What happened, though?"

"I shouldn't be the one to tell you this, but I can see why you would want to understand." Cecily sighed, sitting down beside Tessa. "Look, all you need to know is that Yanluo is a bitch and that it murdered Jem's parents. Jem...He was almost twelve when it happened and he was injected with demon blood in front of his parents as revenge for killing his offspring. He often blames himself for their death because he had already started training and was Marked. It's rare that he tells people of his condition unless they know or find out themselves."

"So is that why-"

"Yes." Cecily answered, a hint of grief in her voice. "He hates the drug because it reminds him everyday of what he failed to do and how he failed his family. He is harsh to himself and often blames himself for their death. Yanluo is a demoness of Hell. She's more powerful than many. Yanluo is often mistaken for a prince of the Hell regions because of common mythology-"

"Mythology? What do you mean?"

"Almost all stories revolving around legends are true, Tessa. The seven deadly sins, rise of Lilith, fall of Lucifer; everything has some truth in it and they are all part of Shadowhunter lives. Unfortunately, Yanluo became part of his. She's not as well known, but she's definitely powerful."

"Oh...I see."

"Just, don't," Cecily said hesitantly, "tell him I told you this. I don't think he would be pleased, but its better off if you know."

"Will is always saying to never bring up past-"

"Yeah, Will. He's...complicated." Standing back up, Cecily gulped down the rest of her water, setting it carefully in the sink. "Will feels the need to keep everyone oblivious. He's overprotective of Jem and his illness and everything revolving his past as well. He just doesn't want people to know about his own past because of the guilt he carries."

"Guilt." Tessa echoed, shaking her head slowly. "It seems to plague everyone here."

Cecily looked at her hands, her blue eyes dark. "Everyone has a reason, some more than others."

**Author's Note: To Jill: Awww. I think I'm going to go into my hidey hole and cry now because I'm touched. :) I might not be a warlock (perhaps) or a cat or something of the sort, but I'm glad you have taken a liking to the story and I especially look forward to your reviews because they are so wonderful and inspiring. I really do wish I could meet the characters because then I would be able to dote about how wonderful they are.****By the Angel, if I ever have children, I am naming them Tessa (If its a girl) or William or James. (If its a boy)...Is that fangirling too much?**

**With hope at last,****MortalShadowhunter**


	81. Curiosity Killed the Cat

When curiosity finally got the best of her, Tessa padded down the stairs and to the basement. Going through the 'training room' chest, she pulled out a worn book of demons. trying to push down a faint sense of guilt, Tessa clasped the chest closed again. Holding it tightly in her arms, she made her way back up the stairs, slipping quietly into her room. She flipped the light on before taking her phone from off her desk. Sitting on her bed, she turned on her phone, going to the internet and setting it down beside her.

The book, since it appeared to have been read often, was delicate in her hands as she flipped through the pages. "Agramon, Moloch, Ravener...Yanluo." Settling on Yanluo's page, she squinted her eyes, trying to read the faded writing. _Yanluo_, it stated under a sketch, _is an Asian demoness that is known to reside in Shanghai and Beijing. Because of her cruel nature, Yanluo has been known to torture her victims before killing them in the most gruesome of ways. The last sighting of Yanluo was at the Shanghai Institute in 2006- _This book was dated; it was at least 7 years older than what Tessa wanted.

_Was Yanluo killed? _Tessa wondered, her eyes wandering over the words. _I suppose she was killed since I remember Will mentioning a demon from Jem's past was killed. Hopefully he was talking about the same one. _There was a rough sketch of a tall, armored woman with pale skin and thin, rangy limbs. In her clawed fingers was a gold scepter, armor plates over her hand. However, when Tessa took a closer look, she realized that the woman was not wearing armor at but, but rather, it was her skin, the plates fading into her angular, haunting face. Tessa sighed sympathetically; such a tragedy at a young age must have been hard to bear.

Taking her phone, she typed in Yanluo, resulting in over one hundred thousand results of all different sorts of answers. Clicking on a few, she frowned. Not only were all of them contradictory of each other, but they were completely different from what the book said. Perhaps the guide book was slightly more trustworthy. Slipping her phone in her pocket, she took a small piece of paper, sliding it between the pages and marking the Yanluo spot in the guide. She snapped the book shut, putting it in the bookshelf of her room where she kept her copy of _Tale of Two Cities._ It had been forever since she had taken the time to really sit down and read a novel. The very thought of reading a book seemed mundane, especially in the midst of all the events that had been happening there in London.

When she did finally stand up to exit her room, she found Church staring up at her outside the door, an accusing look in his eyes. "Oh, Church." Tessa smiled slightly, moving the perpetually grumpy Persian out of the way with her foot. He growled but plopped down in front of Cecily's door instead, his eyes still slits.

"He's been sour today." Jem noted, walking into the hallway and picking up the cat and pressing his mouth in a grim line.

"It seems as if you're the only one he likes."

"I've always been one for cats. Church seems to know that." Jem murmured, avoiding Tessa's gaze. Though his tone was light and his voice was calm, his movements were hesitant as if he were avoiding something. "He despises Will."

"I can't imagine why." Following him into the living room, she clicked her tongue, kneeling on the ground when Jem set Church down. The gray cat moved cautiously towards her outstretched hand, giving it an experimental lick. Running her finger between his eyes, Tessa looked over at Jem, who was staring silently at Church. "I'm...sorry if I offended you...I keep letting my curiosity get in the way and-"

"It was my fault. I shouldn't let myself dawdle over past incidents." Jem answered sharply, his eyes flitting to hers. "I've been worrying and fretting over insignificant and troublesome words that really don't mean anything. I'm fine." Church narrowed his eyes as if to say _liar._

"I know you think about what happened and I brought it up and angered you-"

"I wasn't angry. I just," Jem swallowed, "overreacted. By the Angel, when did Will and I swap places?" He smiled crookedly, looking at her shyly. "He's been on Cecily's case about his birthday. Since I grew up in an Institute, we didn't do birthdays often, but Will..." Jem had a fond expression on his face, "is used to such strange parties. He insists that we go to a bar or gamble, something that Cecily highly agrees with."

"Oh, dear." Tessa said, pushing a stray curl from her face. "I don't think I'd want-"

"Gambling casinos and bars are one of the few things I will miss when we move back to the Institute. The only Downworlder bars are hardly the catch." Will announced cheerfully, pulling on a jacket. He looked over at Jem. "Thank the Angel. I was starting to think Church's temper had started to rub off on you. Tessa, don't worry, bars are-"

"Nasty things." Jem finished, a horrified glimmer going through his eyes. "They make people do unspeakable things."

"Care to bring up a few memories about yourself involving bars?" Will asked 'innocently', his blue eyes wide. "Plus, we aren't going to a bar. Cecily and I have a bet on who can stay up the latest while playing Poker and who can win the most."

Jem's mouth twitched upwards. "A bet with Cecily? You're going to lose."

"Oh, have a little faith in your parabatai, will you?"

Tessa winced. "James, you aren't really going to let them go _gambling _are you?"

"Oh, Tessa. When will you ever learn that Jem isn't the innocent half of me?" Will sighed disappointedly. He exchanged amused looks with Jem. "I hate to admit it, but Jem is quite good at card games-"

"I'm exceptional." Jem interrupted, shrugging placidly.

"Conceded much?" Will snorted, uncommon for Jem to make an arrogant remark. He turned back to Tessa. "Jem would hardly miss a chance to show off his skills at cards because frankly, he doesn't have much talent anywhere else-" Jem raised an eyebrow, "-except for maybe his violin, not blowing the stove up, navigating through the roundabouts, not setting the lifts on fire-"

Tessa widened her eyes. "Will, did you set an elevator on fire?"

"What's an elevator?"

"A lift. Us Americans use elevator."

"Oh," Will crossed his arms, "you still have got language all wrong. It's a pity you weren't raised here because then you might actually speak English."

"Well, I'm sorry I was raised in America for nearly seventeen years," Tessa said sarcastically, "my bad."

Will looked at Jem, pointing to Tessa in confusion. "I have no clue what she means." He glanced over at Tessa. "Your bad? Your bad what? English?"


	82. Gambling

"You can't possibly think of going out like that." Cecily said, dragging Tessa into her room. Though Tessa had dressed up a little nicer than usual, apparently black jeans and a strapless top wasn't nice enough. Forcing Tessa down in a chair, Cecily made a b-line to her closet, sifting through mounds of clothes.

"Cecily, you can't really think that something of yours could fit me..." Tessa said awkwardly, looking at the petite girl.

"You're ruining my concentration!" Cecily called, her voice muffled. "Besides, I have some clothes that are too big for me and you're skinny, so yeah...you'll fit into them. I have a few dresses you can try that I bought, thinking I would grow more, but I never did, so they're just sitting here." Pulling an armful of fabric from her closet, Cecily dropped it onto the bed, tossing things onto the floor. Finally, she handed Tessa a black dress which, in Tessa's eyes, looked more like a shredded piece of fabric. "Try this on. It'll look great!"

Taking the dress from Cecily, Tessa grimaced. "This is not a dress. This is a shirt."

"I assure you, it'll cover enough." Cecily said, turning her back to give Tessa privacy. With an exasperated sigh, Tessa edged off her jeans, folding them and setting them down beside her. After doing the same with her shirt, Tessa stepped into the dress, pulling it up.

"Cecily...I can't even get it over my hips." Tessa groaned, tugging at the dress.

"It has a zipper, you know."

"Oh." Zipping it open, Tessa found it much easier to yank on, though, when she zipped it, she realized how short, tight, and revealing it was; definitely not her style of dress. She poked at the cuts in the side, utterly horrified. "This is awful...I look like a stripper or a hooker or something." Tessa muttered, looking at her reflection. "I can't wear something like this, especially not out." Cecily turned around, her face lighting up as she clapped with glee.

"It's perfect!"

"I'm practically wearing nothing..."

"And..?"

"Ugh, never mind." Tessa pulled the bottom of the dress down as it hiked up her thighs, following Cecily out into the hallway. "I'm telling you, it's too short. I can't take two steps without it riding up."

"It's not supposed to be at your knees."

"I can't even pull it down to my knees, or even pull it down close to them." Tessa scoffed. "Why am I dressing up, anyway? It's just a casino."

"It's a high end one. If you go in there with regular clothes on, then people are going to think that you're lost. Plus, some of the places have dress requirements and policies. There are two 'sections' of the casino. A high end place, and a higher end place. We're going to the place where all the rich bastards are so you can't possibly just wear jeans." Cecily shrugged, slipping on her heels. "Wear the dress for me, for good luck." She grinned. "Not that I'll need it when it comes to surpassing Will."

"Trust me," Will said as Cecily and Tessa entered the main room, "I have more experience...uhhhh...what...eh?" He sputtered over his words, though he didn't exactly have displeasure in his expression. "What are you wearing?"

Pointing at Cecily, Tessa jabbed a finger a her in disgust. "Your sister is making me wear this."

"Whose is that?"

"Who do you think?" Tessa cried, struggling to pull the dress further down. Unfortunately, if she pulled any harder, there would be spillage on the neckline of her dress and Tessa really didn't want any other scandalous happenings in that area of her body. "Your sister has many other atrocious outfits. I can't believe I'm wearing a ridiculous thing like this to a _casino._"

Jem walked in, pushing back his hair and checking his phone. "It's almost seven so we best be going or we're going to be there until morning." He slipped the phone into a pocket inside his unbuttoned casual suit jacket. He looked up, quickly averting his eyes and trying to hide the sheepishness that flushed across his cheekbones.

"Look." Tessa pouted halfheartedly "Jem's wearing black jeans and so is Will. Why can't I?"

Cecily smiled. "Because Jem is Jem and he makes everything look elegant and formal, and Will is stubborn and doesn't like wearing suits. Also because Will is also Will and since he's my brother, he can pull off anything. It's a family trait."

**~~ooo~~**

"Remind me why I'm here again."

"It's Will's birthday."

"I know that," Tessa sighed miserably, watching as one of her mundane opponents lost some of their chips, "but don't I look out of place here?"

"You look fine." Cecily assured her, putting down her cards. She grinned triumphantly. "Straight flush. Again." She took a handful of chips from the opponent sitting next to her, who happened to be an ifrit with ears like a cat and black whiskers. Tessa's heart twisted; Magnus would have liked her mark...and her glittery eye shadow. "If it makes you feel any better, Tessa, I'm going the bar after this for a drink. I'm parched. The game is almost done anyway. Hey!" Cecily called behind her at the table Will was sitting at. "Who's winning."

Will threw her a scowl. "Who do you think?" Jem turned around, a boyish smile on his face as he gave a small wave. Cecily laughed.

"Oh, Will. The only card game he ever beats Jem at is Ecarte, though Poker only takes a little skill. Boys will be boys, even Jem. Oh, damn." Cecily groaned when Tessa beat her full house but quickly regained herself when her turn came again. She threw down her hand of Kings. Everyone at the table seemed to deflate as they gave Cecily the money. "See, I win almost every time. Come on, let's go get a drink." Standing up, Cecily took Tessa's arm, pulling her to the bar which was glowing with purple and dark blue lights. The casino was classy enough, Tessa realized, and not how she imagined it for the only casino she had seen were the creepy cheap ones on her trip in Las Vegas. Cecily flashed the bartender a smile, a persuasion rune visible on her wrist. "Hi. Can me and my companion get a dry classic martini with vermouth?"

"My pleasure and, Miss Herondale, persuasion runes really are unnecessary." The bartender said, pushing back his blond hair. "You're the shapeshifter girl, aren't you?" He asked Tessa, a curious glint in his pale green eyes. "How marvelous and quite intriguing. Magnus told me about you and your fellow Shadowhunter friends. I saw that silver boy play once; he's absolutely adorable. Of course, his parabatai does have habits of ticking off my pack, but his eyes are quite the catch."

"Oh, Woolsey. I forgot you worked here." Cecily said, hopping onto a bar stool. She turned to Tessa, patting the seat beside her. "I think I have mentioned him. This is Woolsey Scott, praetor lupus of the local werewolf pack."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance." Tessa said shyly, sitting down. "I've heard things about you."

"Bad things I presume. Oh, you're wonderful. I'm absolutely charmed." Pulling out two chilled glasses and a few bottles, Woolsey mixed them, ignoring Tessa's look of anxiety. The only alcohol she had ever had was at Windows and it was awful. It was all sorts of confusing blurs when she looked at Woolsey, having not a clue what he was making. _Right, a martini...What is heaven's name is a martini? _"Really, it's quite a pity about Magnus." Woolsey said, his smile slipping. "We were such good friends. Mostly, he still owes me for an assortment of things, but I guess he'll have to be forgiven. At least one can't say he didn't live out his life." He handed them glasses, watching as Tessa stared at it skeptically. "Oh, aren't you darling. I didn't poison it if that's what you're thinking."

"Tessa lives under a rock." Cecily pointed out, taking a sip of her drink. "She doesn't drink and so when she does have alcohol, she's wary of such drinks. It's not bad, Tessa. Honestly, you're not going to get inebriated because of one glass."

"I know that." Tessa sighed, lifting the glass to her lips. It wasn't bad, nor was it good, but it was bearable. "Someone has to drive home though."

"Oh, Tessa. See, the thing about being a Shadowhunter is that you learn to grow up faster than other people like mundanes. We have very high alcohol tolerance. In fact, the drinking age in Idris is fifteen as opposed to a mundane law of twenty one." She smiled. "We're peculiar that way."


	83. Kamikaze and Kar Keys

"Oh, Jem!" Tessa said, glancing behind her with a startled look on her face. "You can't keep sneaking up on me. Especially not on _purpose_."

"It wasn't on purpose." Jem answered, his breath displacing the hair at her temple. "I wouldn't dream of scaring you on purpose; who knows what wrath you'll bring upon us."

Tessa looked at him skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "You're trying not to grin, I can see that. You _did _come up behind me on purpose, James."

He smiled slightly, amusement in his tone. "Okay, so maybe I did, but at least you don't look as if you want to murder me. That's a plus." He admitted, sitting down beside her. "I see Cecily has forced you to have a drink. I wouldn't trust her with such persuadable things. She's done nasty things to drinks in the past." Turning to Woolsey, he looked up at the assortment of drinks. "How are you, Woolsey?"

"Surprised to see a species of your stature here." Woolsey said, his green eyes glinting when Will came into view. "I'm pleasantly surprised to see _some _of you here. Oh, well. Business is business and customers first, not that I have anything against you or your friends, except-" he pointed at Will, "-that one."

"Ahoy, there Woolsey." Will called out, a grin on his face though his eyes screamed bloody murder. "It's a fancy seeing you here and not slobbered over by your pack."

"William Herondale. How do you do?" Woolsey said coolly, his pale blond hair died purple in the fluorescent lights. His hand went to his neck, fiddling with a paw print chain that hung at his chest. "I'm surprised my pack hasn't murdered you yet, or at least gotten back at you for killing one of their pack-mates." Woolsey narrowed his eyes. "They're still angry."

"Well," Will said placidly, "they're still stupid. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do about that."

"Why are you here anyway?"

"Will has managed to not get himself killed and reach adulthood, though I doubt that would stop him from acting childish." Jem remarked, a warning tone is his voice as he looked over at Will. "Woolsey, I think I'll just have a Coke." Reaching into a chilled mini fridge, Woolsey slid a can of soda across the bar, snapping the fridge closed with his knee. Jem took it, condensation on the can dampening his skin as he opened it.

"That's it?" Cecily asked, his lips pursed. "We go to a nice casino and Woolsey is working at a high end bar and you order _soda_?"

"It's Jem." Will pointed out, leaning against the bar. "What do you expect him to order? A vodka shot?" Jem winced as if he were imagining himself in such a state; a position that he had never fallen to except by Cecily's spikes that she slipped in people's drinks. But that was only once and it hadn't been nearly as bad as when she took one of her own spiked drinks herself. "Woolsey, speaking of shots, I want a Kamikaze."

Looking at Will in resignation, Woolsey shrugged. "Only idiots take that one- that and the Jager Bomb." He said, though he pulled out a few bottles and a small shot glass.

"What are they talking about?" Tessa inquired, puzzled at the strange terms.

Cecily smiled, taking another sip of her martini. "Names of drinks. They're just types of shots." Reaching over, she grabbed Jem's Coke, taking an experimental gulp. "Ugh. It's cloyingly sweet compared to my drink. Yucky."

"That's because martinis are bitter and tart." Jem said, not at all bothered that Cecily had taken his drink. He pulled out his phone, checking the time. "By the Angel, is it really already eleven? It feels like we've only been here for an hour."

"It feels like we've been here forever." Tessa commented, looking back at all the bright lights and scantily dressed girls. She glanced over at Will, shaking her head slowly though a small smile was playing on her lips. "Its no wonder why Will likes it here. Who's winning?"

"I am." Jem laughed breathily, taking the can back from Cecily. "Though technically, I'm not part of the bet."

Cecily giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Nope. You're not because then you'd beat us all. Well, I'd probably win, but then I'd lose."

"Cecy, you're not making any sense." Setting the empty shot glass down, the violet flecks in Will's eyes were glimmering.

Cecily pointed at the empty shot glass. "Woolsey, one of 'em sounds good." Cecily reached into her back, pulling out twenty five pounds. "Here, I think this'll pay for all of the drinks so far. I wouldn't want to forget to pay you, would I?" Rolling his eyes, Woolsey took the money, slipping it into the cash register before preparing her shot. _The glasses are tiny._ Tessa thought, squinting. _They're so miniscule, how could someone possibly become drunk on something as harmless as that?_ Cecily picked up the shot glass, tilting her head back as she downed it in one gulp. For a moment, she just held the shot glass in her hand, a look of surprise on her face. "So...what was that one?"

"You're drinking things that you haven't a clue what's in them?" Will snorted, a smirk marring his almost angelic features. Tessa blinked. Nope, he was definitely sparkly. "It has lime in it, and vodka, and something else but I can't really remember."

"Now, now. Don't make a fool out of yourself, Will. Someone has to drive home tonight." Jem said, a helpless smile on his face. Tessa took another swig of her drink. Pressing her eyes closed for a moment before opening them again. The last time she checked, Jem and Cecily and Will hadn't been shiny like glass sculptures. The lights were tinkling, her thoughts muffled as if they were concealed with cotton balls. She asked Woolsey for a glass of water which, thankfully, cleared her head a bit.

"Let's play a game, James." Will said, his eyes full of inquisitiveness. "I'm thinking of a song, and you have to guess what it is."

"Oh, dear. We really shouldn't play this game."

"Demon pox, oh demon pox, oh how is it acqui-"

"I think it would be better if we went to the lounge." Jem sighed, taking his parabatai's wrist.

Cecily looked at him in disappointment. "I'm cold and I forgot my jacket it the car."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, I'll meet you in the lounge." Jem said, holding out his hand. "Where are the car keys?"

"You're the best, James...like a cuddly kitten." Cecily chirped joyfully, pulling the keys from her purse and handing them to Jem. "And Tessa, you can be a little bird. Like a canopy or something." Tessa frowned. Canopies were very different from canaries.

"We should go to the lounge," Tessa said, taking Will's wrist and beckoning Cecily over, "or else Jem is going to wonder where we are." Pulling two slightly drunk Herondales through a crowd of people was no easy task and Tessa had to pull Will multiple times from telling awful pick up lines to the nearly undressed waitresses at several different bars and Poker tables. The lounge, thankfully, was populated by only a few people exchanging small talk and gossip. Tessa sat down, pushing curls of hair from her face. She looked down, narrowing her eyes. "Will! Hands!"


	84. Only a Little Drunk'

"Will. Where is your sister?" Tessa asked, standing up looking around the corner. Will had calmed down slightly, his blue eyes still staring tiredly, and dizzily, out into the distance.

"I haven't the slightest idea." Will said with a slight slur, following her. Turning into a dimly lit, nearly empty hallway, Tessa sighed as she saw Cecily vanish into a billiards room, staggering and wobbling in her ridiculous heels. _Goodness, how many shots did Cecily take when she was at the bar?_ Tessa wondered, cringing at the thought of how the small glasses could seriously change morals and erase ones common sense. "She'll live." Will mumbled, pushing his hair back from his face. "She's the best at pool, even better than James."

"It seems as if everyone has their specialty besides you." Tessa mused, her gray eyes glittering.

"Oh, I am wonderful at an assortment of things; too many that people just refuse to acknowledge it anymore." Will shrugged, his hair curling slightly at his forehead.

Tessa squinted her eyes, trying to focus at the sparkling substance on Will's suit. "You've got glitter on your shirt collar." Tessa frowned, reaching up to wipe it off. She hissed in surprise when her fingers turned shiny. In fact, they were both sparkling and a little misty as if they were watercolor paintings. Screwing her face up in a look of annoyance, she rubbed her skin, trying to get the shimmery glitter off her hand. "It's shiny all over. It's all glittery. Magnus has been reincarnated."

Will laughed as if it had been startled out of him, a ghost of a grin in his eyes. "How many drinks did you have?"

"Two, I think." Tessa said, cocking her head to the side. "I don't know. It was Cecily's idea."

"I thought you only had one."

"It was after you started to sing the demon...demon pox or whatever song."

"Did I? I can't seem to recall that." Will said softly, catching her by her waist. His expression gentled. "You look beautiful tonight, by the way."

Tessa reddened. "You're definitely intoxicated."

His eyes darkened when he looked down at her. "Not anymore." Putting a hand under her chin, he studied her face, his blue eyes looking more violet than usual. Tessa's eyes fluttered shut as he brought his mouth down on hers, his hand sliding to the small of her back. Tessa shuddered, her hands clutching at his coat. He tasted like cold water and lime; he was sweet nonetheless. The world around her crashed down as he stroked one hand over her cheek; it was soft and cool and...wrong. Tessa's eyes snapped open, drawing back from him with widened eyes. "Tessa?"

"This isn't right." Tessa whispered, wiping her mouth and looking down with guilt. _Everyone has a reason, some more than others_, Cecily had told her a few days before about their excessive guilty feelings, her tone dead serious. Tessa swallowed. "I'm sorry, Will, but I just can't..."

A look of longing and hurt passed over his eyes but he quickly covered it with a look of fake understanding. "Of course," Will said bitterly, a humorless smile on his face, "I must be intoxicated like you said. I shouldn't have done that."

She looked away from him, looking into the billiards room. "Cecily?"

Cecily grinned at her. "I'm getting more shots. There can never be enough." She was sitting on the bar counter, one leg hanging off and another rested on the edge. The bartender looked pleased. Will went inside, glaring at the bartender before pulling Cecily down.

"What in Raziel's name are you doing?" Will narrowed his eyes, looking at the row of shot glasses on the counter. "You can't possibly drink all these."

Tessa turned around, leaving them and heading back down the hall to the lounge, almost running into someone when she rounded a corner. She looked up to apologize when she saw two silvery eyes staring down at her. Standing up, she brushed herself off. "Oh, Jem. I was just going to look for you."

"I was searching for you guys. I didn't see you in the lobby." Jem murmured, brushing hair from out of her eyes and behind her ear. He looked around. "Where is Cecily and Will? I have Cecy's jacket." He inquired, his eyes flitting to the billiards room. He frowned, a hint of exasperation in his eyes though he just sighed calmly and shook his head. "Those two. They hate each other at times, and yet they're so alike in many ways. Unfortunately, partying is one of the things those two share." Tessa looked back, only mildly surprised that Will was downing a shot with his sister, his face flushed with heat. Taking Tessa's hand, he led her down the hall into the room.

"Hello James! Care to join us?" Cecily asked, setting an empty glass down. Will was sitting at a table close to her, fiddling with a glass.

"Why are these so small?"

Jem went over to Will, pulling him out of his seat. "Because they're strong and you're not supposed to have a lot of them." Jem scolded. "Come on, Cecy. We should go." With a disappointed groan, they followed him, their features illuminated and their eyes glowing; they looked like falling angels.

**~~ooo~~**

Dragging them back home had been easy, but their drunken chatter had been murderously hard to endure. The cool air was a relief when Tessa stepped in the house. Air conditioning was a wonderful thing. Cecily had exhaustion written all over her face, stumbling off to her room. Will returned to his, but in a much louder, and disheveled state. Opening his closet door, Will reached his arm in. "Where the hell is Narnia?"

"And this," Jem said to Tessa, pointing at Will's room with a helpless look on his face, "is why I drink soda."


	85. Mischevious

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry for the Author's Note...Again. Just wanted to say, check out my new story Bleeding Out, a TID fanfiction. :) Thanks and enjoy. **

"Is this Will's?" Tessa inquired, picking up a dagger with small birds etched in the hilt. Jem nodded.

"He leaves his stuff in my room sometimes," He paused, biting his bottom lip, "Actually, more like all the time." Walking over to Tessa, he studied the dagger, a soft smile gracing his lips. "His father, I believe, gave that to him. I'm not entirely sure, though. Will has always been the one with the best memory."

"It's beautiful." Tessa murmured, his gray eyes softening. "I've been working on my Change and I think I found how to do something neat." Tessa said, stepping back from him. "Watch." She closed her hand around the hilt of the dagger, her face pressed in concentration. At first, nothing happened, but when Tessa opened her eyes, Jem let out a small gasp. Her eyes were completely blue, like Will's, though her eyes seemed to be the only feature of his that she had.

"...How?" Jem asked after a few moments, studying her eyes, or rather, Will's eyes, inquisitively.

"It's quite simple, actually." Tessa explained, a hint of something strange in her voice. "There is this saying that eyes are the windows to the soul, so I figured that if I could just Change eyes, then I would still be able to look into their mind without fully Changing." She set the dagger down, her eyes still a dark blue. However, after a few seconds, she sighed, the Change fading away as she sat down on the bed. "Will cares for you. He often thinks about your health." Jem tensed slightly, looking away from her. "I saw a blue demon...Was that the one that killed his sister?"

Jem gritted his teeth, looking down at Tessa. "...Yes." He looked up as if to clear his thoughts before sitting down on his bed, pulling out his phone.

"Could you hand me that book?"

"This one?" Jem asked, reaching down and holding up a novel. He looked around. "Well, I guess this is the only book in the room except for music books." He blushed, handing it to Tessa. She let out a breathy laugh, laying back and opening it to her bookmarked page. On the other hand, Jem leaned his head against the headboard, slipping in earphones and plugging them into his phone. It wasn't his favorite using Noteflight to write violin sheet music, but it was more efficient and cleaner than using paper to write notes down. Tessa looked up at him from her book, her eyes glinting in curiosity.

"What are you doing?"

Jem pulled out one of his earplugs. "Sheet music I'm writing."

"Can I see?"

"...It's not finished."

"Please?" Tessa sat up, moving over to look at his phone. When he failed to comply with her wishes, she plucked it out of his hand, giggling as she tried to find the play button. For starters, Jem knew that the robotic sounds of the Noteflight app were less than pretty and it was definitely not the right way to listen to such music. Plus, he only showed his pieces when they were finished, and his was less than halfway through.

He leaned over, trying to get his phone. "It's not finished." Jem repeated, trying to get a grip on his phone.

"I want to listen to it." Tessa insisted, her voice hitched with amusement. She had to keep waving it out of reach as Jem came close to snatching it from her hand, her free hand struggling to push him back.

"It doesn't sound good with the electronic violin."

"Then can you play it for me?"

"It's not finished."

"That's alright." Tessa said, still holding the phone away from him. "I just want to see how it is so far because, oomphh-" Jem caught hold of her, pressing his mouth to hers and pulling her close. She melted instantly against her will, her lips parting and her hand loosening on his phone. Seizing this opportunity, Jem slipped his hand over hers, gently pulling his phone from her hand and shoving it underneath his pillow. He drew away from her, grinning as he pressed his face into his pillow. He stifled a laugh, holding down his phone and refusing to surrender it. Tessa looked confusedly at him for a moment before giving him a startled look. "Jem! You trickster. How dare you-" Diving next to him, she struggled to pry her fingers underneath his pillow, grumbling in annoyance when her fingers were close enough to touch it, but too far to grasp it.

"You were saying?" Jem queried, looking at her in cheerfulness. He was still smiling affectionately, a playful gleam in his eyes. _That_, Tessa thought, smiling back, _was what I had fallen in love with._ "I'm not going to let you see it."

She tried grabbing the phone with her fingertips, failing miserably. "Please?"

"Nope."

"You're an awful person." Tessa whispered, leaning close to kiss his cheek. "Even more so than Will."

"Ahh, you see. That's the difference. Will is always extraordinarily awful and entertaining; he can't help it." Jem shrugged, still keeping his phone pinned beneath him. "But its a treat when I'm awful because I don't always want you to win our bickering, even if it is over phones."

"When do we bicker?"

"Over many things, such as chocolate-"

"That was me and Will."

"Same thing."

"Are you going to give Will his birthday present tomorrow?" Tessa yawned, her fingers still straining to get his phone. "I doubt he was pleased about losing the bet tonight."

"I'm not sure who won. We didn't exactly play for long."

"All three of you were playing for four hours."

Jem gave her a boyish grin. "When Will asks you to play him in Poker, you can't turn him down or else he's going to think that you're scared of him beating you. Unfortunately, what he doesn't realize, is that if someone beats him four times in a row, chances are, they're going to win again in that fifth round. We were only there until twelve- not nearly as late as when Will normally stays."

"He goes there often?"

"By the Angel, no. He's been there probably only four times, five including yesterday. So he's familiar with it, but not a regular. He has better luck at the slot machines."

"But you don't need luck at the slot machines."

Jem moved his face closer to her, kissing her forehead. "Exactly." Pulling his phone from underneath his pillow, he went to set it on his nightstand. Determined that she would get it, Tessa scrambled over to get it, her body half splayed across the bed. Jem let out a an "oomph" as Tessa was practically sitting on his back. "Your knee is in my back."

"Then give me the phone." Tessa pleaded, struggling to pry it from her hands.

The door opened. "Jem, where is my phone? I asked you to hold-" Will froze, one eyebrow raised quizzically. Tessa froze mid reach.

"I assure you, this isn't what it looks like." She sputtered.

"She's going to steal my phone." Jem cried, muffled.

"He's hiding his violin music sheet from me." Tessa said, pointing to his phone.

Will sighed as if it were a normal occurrence, his slur definitely gone though he still smelled faintly of lime. "Where's my phone?"

Trying to point with his face half obscured in the blankets, Jem gestured at his dresser. "Over there." Will snatched his phone from beside Jem's violin box, slipping outside without a word. Jem groaned. "He's not going to help me, is he?"

Tessa smiled. "Nope."

**Author's Note: Okayyyyy guys. So, just to let you know, I'm going to COMIC CON in a few days. (I'm dressing up as Grell Sutcliff from Black Butler and Isabelle Lightwood). :) So, unfortunately, I won't be able to update for a bit, but keep the reviews coming. *wink wink* I listen to all of them and so, if there is something specific you want to happen, feel free to request it and I will consider. :)**


	86. Resurfaced Memories

"I got it!" Tessa announced triumphantly, one hand smashing Jem's face into the pillow and one hand waving the phone in the air. Jem fought to roll over when he realized he needed air, upsetting Tessa from his back and causing her to fall off and onto the foot of the bed. "I still got it!" She said breathlessly, a smile plastered on her face. She turned it on, swiping right to open is phone. The smile on her face slipped, a look of horror replacing it. "All that for nothing?"

Jem grinned, lying on his back and breathing heavily. "You got my phone. Aren't you happy?"

"I wanted to see the song...But there is a password on your phone!" Tessa cried, trying random combinations before locking him out, several times, for fifteen minutes. "This is not fair. What is the-"

"I'm not going to tell you." Jem said adamantly, easing the phone from her grip. "Besides, you locked my phone out for quite some time, so even if I did tell you, you wouldn't be able to open it. I'll finish the song soon and then I'll show you, though." He promised as Tessa feebly crawled up beside him, collapsing into the sheets with exhaustion written all over her face.

"That took so much effort and I don't even know the password. What a waste." Tessa muttered sullenly, clutching a pillow to her face. "Perhaps Will knows your password...He ought to know."

"Of course he does. Well, I think he does." Setting his phone on his nightstand, Jem's expression sharpened with concentration. "I'm pretty sure, though. He's absolutely wonderful at cracking phone codes. He's better than almost everyone I've ever seen." He pushed her hair from her face. "Back at the Institute, we hardly used phones since Charlotte said that they were distractions so Will has been over enthusiastic when it comes to toying with his phone."

"The Institute...What is it like?" Flipping over on her back, Tessa looked at him in interest, and a small bit of fear.

"It's definitely bigger than this...Much bigger than this house. Larger than the school, even, but we don't normally need to know how to navigate all the rooms." Jem explained, a prick of homesickness in his heart when he pictured the London Institute. However, he was instantly transported back to Shanghai when he closed his eyes briefly; the feel of the training room, the old parchment artifacts written in Mandarin from centuries earlier, his family, his friends...He pushed down thoughts of grief and regret. They were dead anyway. "You'll fit in just fine."

"I'm worried that I'll either get lost or I'll end up killing everyone with my bad throws in the training room." Tessa said, only half joking. "I nearly chopped Will's hand in half while he was showing me how to use a claymore sword. I think it was a claymore..."

"Don't worry," Reaching down, Jem took her hand and couldn't help but think that their fingers entwined perfectly. He was hopeful that Tessa felt the same way. "After you're trained you'll feel better. Gideon is an excellent trainer and he will be helping with Sophie as well. The training room is quite expansive, as are all the training rooms at all the other Institutes."

"What was the one in Shanghai like?"

"Basic. It had everything we needed and was suitable except for the fact that it would always be littered with daggers after Alexr and I were finished with training."

"Alexr?"

Jem looked away. "A friend."

"Were you close?"

"We were set up to become parabatai. His grandfather had moved from London to America but Alexr's father moved to Shanghai. We grew up together." Jem sighed, toying with the hem of Tessa's sleeves. "We _were _close, best friends, even, but it would have never worked as parabatai because we were too alike. Besides...what happened at the Institute...I am lucky I found such a friend here. Will is much more fitting."

"Oh. Was it just Alexr or was it..?"

"Alexander Ashdown." Jem smiled partway. "He despised his name because Alexander is a very common Shadowhunter name."

"...I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not like it was your fault that he is gone. Though I do miss him sometimes, I'd much rather have Will as my parabatai. He only knows that Alexr was once my friend but he's gone. Will doesn't need to know anything more than that." His phone chimed and he leaned over, finding his phone unlocked and a notification blinking at the top. He swept the screen down, seeing an email from Catarina. Turning the phone off, he rolled onto his side, facing Tessa. "Just a notification." Jem said before she could ask. "Nothing important." He placed one hand under her chin, slanting his mouth down on hers.

Her hands were instantly in his hair, tightening her grasp as she pushed back against him. Drawing away, Jem pulled the pins that Cecily had set in her hair and dropped them down on the bed. Placing his fingertips over her heart, he smiled; she was warm, steady, and safe. She was leaning forward again when the door sprang open. "Jesus!" She said, startled.

"Actually," Jem pointed out, looking at the open door. "It's just Church."

Tessa smacked him with her pillow. "You know what I mean."

He laughed lightly, tapping the edge of the bed. Jumping up despite his growing weight, Church landed semi gracefully, digging his claws into the blanket for balance. Purring, Church curled up in the crook of Jem's arm, his fluffy tail tickling Jem's cheek. Looking over at Tessa, Jem gave her a defeated look. "It seems that Church decided to grace us with his presence. I really ought to tell Will that Church is like his furry brother; claws out but amusing all the same."

Tessa frowned. "If he stays in here, he's going to end up clawing my eyeballs out."

"There are moments when I just can't resist making a 'Will remark'."Jem said amusedly. "I can't help it if Church is in love with me as well. Don't be too jealous, Tessa."

He earned another smack with a pillow.

**Author's Note: For you guys, I managed to squeeze in just one more chapter before I leave for San Diego. :) Review and enjoy. :)**


	87. Presents and Pitch Perfect

"Nugghhhh." Will groaned with exhaustion, pulling the blankets over his head and rolling over, pressing his face into his pillow. Standing by Will's bed with a small package in hand, Jem gave a small, amused shake of his head. Kneeling, he grabbed the edge of the covers, yanking them off Will's head. Again, Will grumbled in exasperation, slapping Jem across the hand as he struggled to get the covers from Jem. "Have you ever heard of sleep?"

"How disappointing." Jem sighed, standing up and turning around. "I was just assuming that you would want to open your birthday gift. We all went through loads of trouble to pitch in and order it. However, if you don't want it-"

"Wait." Wrapping his hand around Jem's wrist, Will pulled him back. Sitting up, Will brushed his mess black hair back. "In that case." Patting the spot beside him, he gestured for Jem to sit down.

"I was going to... Well, we were going to give it to you but you just so happened to be quite-" Jem coughed delicately, "-inebriated. We, meaning Tessa and I since your sister was also drunk, agreed that it would be a smarter idea to give it to you when you could truly appreciate it."

"I was not drunk."

Jem just smiled and didn't rebuke his claims but simply looked over at Will. "Did you ever find Narnia?"

"I haven't the slightest idea what you are talking about."

"Good. It was a dreadful sight." Handing Will his present, Jem grinned; he had wrapped the gift and it looked quite nice, not to mention that it was adorned with a red ribbon. He didn't know it was silly of him or not to be so happy that his favorite color was decorating Will's small gift. "I really hope you enjoy it though because I thought you might like it."

Tearing open the carefully wrapped present, Will removed the plastic container, a confused expression on his face."Ehh...ugh, what is this? I got a plastic box?"

Jem laughed softly, pointing at a small, plastic tape edge on the box. "It's a case for the gift."

"I knew that." Will scoffed. "I was just kidding."

Raising an eyebrow, Jem touched Will's shoulder lightly. "Of course you were."

Finally managing to open the plastic case, Will pulled out a dark blue phone case. He pursed good mouth."I... Err, don't have a phone to fit this-" suddenly, his face lit up, "-unless..." Digging back in his package, Will took out another small, plastic bag. reaching his hand in, he pulled out a new phone. "I knew it! You, James, were bloody liar when you said that you were going to get me a pink plushie unicorn that I could name Owen. I was looking forward to it when you texted me that."

Reaching over, Jem plucked the new phone from his hand. "I guess I'll go return this then-"

"Wait..." Will grabbed the phone back. "This is much better... it wasn't expensive, was it?"

"You know," Jem pointed out, his silver eyes glittering, "I think I liked it a little more when you were carefree and not so concerned about such materialistic items like money."

Will grinned. "Are women materialistic items?"

Jem frowned. "People are not merely items, but I guess you could say the comfort of such people could be a materialistic want."

"Then I am very materialistic because I have a talent for attracting money in poker and women at school."

_No, you just have a talent for losing them and breaking them. _Despite his troubling thoughts, Jem just smiled softly. "Do you like your gift then?"

"Quiet. You're disrupting my game." Will said sharply, holding uip his hand to silence Jem. He had already explored the application store and downloaded multiple games, playing them already. "This fish is not very splashy nor is it going between the underwater pipes. The flapping bird thing was much better than this but it seems to have been terminated. Oh dear." Flicking his finger across the screen, Will gave his phone an annoyed look. "This phone is much better than the other one I had and yet the fish still refuses to comply."

"I doubt it's the phone's fault."

"This is quite different to the bird game."

"From."

"What?"

"It's different from."

Shooting a glare in Jem's direction, Will narrowed his dark blue eyes. "It is my birthday so I can use incorrect grammar if I please."

"I don't understand. Why are birthdays so important anyway?"

"The year you were born marks only your entry into the world. Other years where you prove your worth, they are the ones worth celebrating." Will quoted cheekily at his parabatai, raising an eyebrow. "You might not understand such celebrations, but oh well. It's your loss. Are you getting up soon?"

"I'll probably go out. I'm starved."

Will grinned. "Hi Starved. I'm Will."

"Hilarious." Jem's expression was absolutely scathing. "Not only is that joke inexpressibly dumb, but it is extremely cliche."

"I wasn't trying to be funny. I was just trying to annoy you."

"That doesn't make any...Never mind." Jem went to peer through the curtains, squinting when bleary light filtered into the room. "We should get up. It's light outside."

"No shit Sherlock." Will said, holding up his phone. "It's nearly nine. Of course it's light."

"Come on. I presume Tessa and Cecily are already up and eating." Forcibly hauling Will to his feet, Jem frowned when he stepped on a book, upsetting a whole stack of movie CD's and books in the room. Stooping down, Jem picked up one movie in particular, his face a mask of puzzlement. "Why do you have one of Cecily's movies?"

Will took the movie back. "You mean to tell me that you have never seen Pitch Perfect?"


	88. Different than Before

_There's something wrong with Will._

Tessa swallowed uneasily as Will walked into the room, Jem tagging beside him. Something about Will was different, though he spoke and looked the same. She couldn't get her mind off the disturbing thoughts that had muddled his memories like a black stain when she had Changed her eyes into his; there was something very strange about him though she didn't know what, and she doubted he knew either.

Cecily prodded her in her side, jarring her violently from her thoughts. Looking at Tessa with a quizzical expression and a tired lilt of her head, Cecily smiled. "You're so sleepy today. Are you daydreaming because it looks like you're staring into space."

"I'm fine." Tessa said hastily, taking another bite of her cereal. She was only mildly jealous when Jem and Will sat down on the couch together, still huddled around his new phone with laughter in their eyes. They were parabatai after all, and were...normally the best of friends. Instead of pondering over such troubling thoughts, Tessa finished off her cereal, standing up to discard it in the sink.

"Here, I got it." Cecily murmured, grabbing Tessa's plate and her own from the counter and moving towards the sink.

"Thanks." Lacing her tired voice with as much gratitude as she could muster, she stifled a yawn, walking past Jem and Will and into her room. It had been ages since she had sat down with a good book, and her fingers itched to do so. Taking the book closest to her, she tossed herself on her bed, almost considering going back to sleep when the bed felt inhumanly comfortable. Looking at the book in her hands, she sat back up. _Pride and Prejudice and Zombies _was definitely not her favorite book, but it was amusing nonetheless, if a bit disturbing as well. As soon as she opened her book, the door swung open.

"Tessa?" Cecily grinned. "We are going to watch a movie."

Setting down her book, Tessa rubbed her eyes. "Which one?"

"Will wanted to watch _Pitch Perfect." _

Tessa snorted, choking on her spit in laughter. "Out of all the movies in the world, that is the one he wants to watch?"

Glancing back at the door, Cecily grinned again, a sly look in her eyes. Leaning forward, she fought to choke down hysterical giggles. "Will can be very smart when he wants to, but he's gullible sometimes...well, pretty much only if I tell him something, but I told him that the cast was filming and he got in one frame while we were in Baton Rouge. He believed me and has been searching for his appearance ever since."

Tessa gaped. "He does not actually believe that."

"Unfortunately, he does." She smirked and, in that very moment, Tessa couldn't help but think that she looked exactly like Will. "I can be very persuasive when I want to. In fact, there was this one time when I told James that I put a spider nest in his violin and he wouldn't touch it for weeks."

"He's arachnophobic?"

"Are you kidding me? You didn't know? He's just plain entemophobic. That's why he's such a clean freak...Well, he's naturally organized either way, but still. I mean, he's not severely entemophobic, not as much as I am." Cecily shuddered. "I hate bugs so much, but they don't know that or I would never hear the end of it. Besides, if Will knew I hated bugs, I would find dead bugs that he would find just absolutely hilarious to hide in my room."

"I don't mind bugs but I definitely don't want to sleep with them." Pulling her knees to her chest, Tessa put her chin on her knees, her brown hair falling over her shoulders. "You're persuasive, eh?"

"I mean, Will still believes he is in the movie."

"Is that the only reason he likes that movie?"

"Probably." She sat down on the edge of the bed. "But I think it's mainly because he knows that Jem wouldn't like it, and that's why he wants to watch it." She smiled helplessly. "Boys will be boys. I dragged Gabriel off with one of my friends to go see it and he absolutely hated it, but he stayed anyway because he's my boyfriend that way. That's why he's the best."

Raising an eyebrow, Tessa pushed her hair back. "I'm sure he is to you."

"There was a time when I thought Will and Gabriel could be friends, but then off course, Will broke his arm and there have been multiple less than savory moments between them regarding Tatiana and age old arguments."

"Tatiana? Former girlfriend?"

"Dear me, no." Cecily looked mildly disgusted. "She's Gabriel's sister, but she's awfully unpleasant and childish. She once thought she was in love with Will. Long story, short; Will found out, he embarrassed her and he and Gabriel fought, resulting in a broken arm. It was awful, so I heard."

"Cecy!" A loud knock on the door startled them both, the door clicking open. "Did you retrieve Tessa yet? If we don't start watching it now, I'm afraid Jem might run off and hide in horror. He's already read the synopsis and is planning his excape...not that I can blame him." Will called inside smugly. Cecily pulled Tessa to her feet.

"Come on. We should go out before Will throws a fit."

Glancing back wistfully at her room, Tessa sighed. Her book would have to wait.

** Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry for the scarce updates. I just wanted to say that this chapter was written on my phone so it might have a few typos. Sorry! **


	89. Vomit Angels

Burying his face in Will's shoulder, Jem let out a grunt of discontent. The movie, so far, was as awful as he had imagined and he feared that if he listened to it for a minute longer, all of his Shadowhunter studies would be extracted from his mind and turned to mush. Not only were the characters utterly unrealistic and cliché, but they managed to ruin music for him for at least a month. Their rendition of all the songs were sure to scar him for life. He hoped dearly that it would be better in the end but, judging by Will's sly smirk, it probably was going to be equally as horrifying.

"Does this even have a plot?" Jem groaned, his tone unusually impatient. "I've learned to never trust you when it comes to movies. All the ones you want to see have absolutely no plot."

Looking over at Jem, Will raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"_Shoot 'Em Up, _the new rendition of _Godzilla_-"

"_Godzilla _has a plot." Will insisted, pushing an M&M into Jem's hand. "Every movie has a plot, even if it is as thin as paper. Plus, Cecily said I got in this movie."

Popping the M&M into his mouth, Jem sighed. Chocolate did make everything better, though Tessa begged to differ. Turning back to the screen, Jem shook his head. "Yeah, Cecily still has you believing you got in this movie?"

Pointing a random person on the screen, Will grinned. "There I am."

"May I remind you," Jem laughed softly, "that you aren't blond...and you're not a girl. I seriously doubt that is you."

"You're missing the movie."

"You aren't usually this cruel."

"Dear me. My parabatai duties have been failing then."

Tessa glanced over at Jem and Will, raising a hand to cover the giggles that pealed from her lips. It was quite amusing seeing Jem so utterly demurred and horrified at such a crude movie. Meeting Tessa's gaze, Jem gave her a hopeless look before staring blankly at the screen. Not only was that one Aubrey character getting on his nerves, but the main acapella guy group leader made Will look like a complete angel. Reaching over, Jem plucked another M&M from Will's hand before giving the little baggie in his hand a look of confusion.

"When did you get this?" Jem inquired, placing the small chocolate candy in his mouth. "We hardly have these."

Will ate a few. "Tessa explained that M&M's were very popular in New York. She bought some last week but never ate them because she doesn't like chocolate."

"Cecily forced me to." Tessa cried, looking disgustedly at the chocolate bag. "She said she wanted them and then she took the bag."

"So you took them?" Jem asked, prodding Will.

"No." Will said innocently with a straight face. "I didn't steal them. She _gave _them to me."

Cecily let out a short bark of a laugh. "Well, aren't you just special?" She said sarcastically, grinning. "Can I have one?" Catching one of the chocolates as Will threw one to her, she looked back at the screen to see the main acapella girl spewing her lunch all over the theater floor. Cecily gagged inwardly, throwing the candy back at Will. "On the other hand..."

"Lost your appetite, Cecy?" Will inquired, a slight, but noticeable expression of affection on his face as he caught it. "I thought you were a tougher Shadowhunter than that."

"Says the guy who loves watching _Pitch Perfect_."

"That guy is your brother, and I do not _love _watching _Pitch Perfect._" Will defended, frowning. "It's a funny movie, plus, James hasn't seen it and if I have seen it, he needs to see it too."

Pushing hair from his face, Jem leaned his head against Will's shoulder. "Yeah, no. I don't need to see this. Besides, you sounded very thrilled when I agreed to watch it. I don't mean to be this blunt about my feelings about this movie, but I strongly dislike it. It's just plain awful."

Will widened his eyes. "Aca-excuse me?"

Cecily made a small motion similar to jazz hands. "Aca-believe it!"

"I have lots of other awful movies, ideas, and jokes in mind." Will said cheerfully.

Jem grumbled something under his breath. "By the Angel-"

"Why did the chicken cross the road?"

"Just, no-"

"To get to the other side. Knock, knock."

Narrowing his eyes in resignation, Jem shrugged. "Who's there?"

"The chicken."

"The chicken who?"

"You just ruined the entire joke!" Will called out, burying his head into a nearby pillow in frustration. "You. Ruined. It. You're not supposed to say, 'the chicken who?'. You are supposed to just leave it at that since it is implied that the chicken at your door is the one who crossed the road."

"That's an awful joke. Who told you that one?"

"The American."

Tessa smiled. "We were exchanging common sayings and jokes that we always hear."

Will furrowed his eyebrows. "They say 'dude' and 'bro' and a game called 'telephone'.

"Telephone?" Jem asked. "It's a game?"

"It's like Chinese Whispers...or whatever you call it." Tessa pointed out, her eyes flitting lazily to the screen.

"Oh, the racist game." Jem said with mock sourness in his voice. "I don't like playing that game because then Will purposely changes the phrase. I don't understand how you an go from saying one thing, and then end up with another entirely different sentence."

Poking Jem in his side, Will crossed his arms in disappointment. "You've spent nearly the entire movie either talking or pressing your face into my sleeve...and now it's almost done."

"Oh, good." The edges of Jem's mouth twitched into a smile. "I could hardly take any more of that nonsense. Besides, I wasn't the only one talking."

"But you missed the whole movie by bringing up such conversations."

"Will," Cecily said, putting her hand on his shoulder, "why do you think he has been talking this entire time? I don't blame him, though. Vomit angels are repulsive."


	90. Torn

"What took you so long?"

"I was held back. Will had plans."

"I have some different items that you can try."

"Instant working ones?"

"No. You will have to take them back to your place."

"So, will they work?" Jem looked down at the floor, his silver eyes darkening. Slipping his coat off and hanging it on a hook, he stepped further inside the dark room. Despite the shadows that seemed to swallow the walls and flooring, it was nicer and loads cleaner than the usual Downworld markets, not to mention that the warlock who owned it was a mutual friend of the Institute's. Catarina beckoned him into a chair, sitting down opposite of him with a few vials in her hand.

"Look, Mr. Carstairs-"

"Jem. Just call me Jem." He said softly, giving the bottles a measured look. "Will they work?"

She swallowed, her teeth biting at her lip. Catarina was unusually expressive for an older warlock. "Look, _Jem, _I am a powerful warlock but...I can only find things to slow the effects and rewind them to an extent. I've seen only one case of your kind, and she quickly succumbed to her drug...your illness, as you call it." Leaning back, she plucked a small fruit from a bowl, popping it into her mouth. "It's quite pathetic, the limit of my abilities."

"I can pay-"

"I don't need pay. I'm a doctor. It's what I do for my own pleasure and others health, not for the materialistic want for money." She drawled, pressing her mouth together. Sighing, she set the vials down on the table in front of her. "I can offer these, but Magnus would probably know how to enhance them. Warlocks of different strengths have always worked together. How is he, by the way?" She asked before holding up a hand before Jem could speak. "Don't answer that. I doubt he cares. He'll go years without notifying anyone and then show up at your house without any further notice. I wouldn't be surprised if I came here to find him sifting through my wares."

He hesitated. "I'll make sure to send him your regards-" Jem was cut off when Church, who had followed him with adamant meows, leapt onto his lap, curling up and purring. Reaching down, Jem scratched Church's head, earning a contented sigh from the enormous cat. Looking up, he smiled sheepishly. "Forgive me. It seems that he insistently follows me wherever I go."

Catarina's eyes were inquisitive. "Is he sick too?"

"No. He was a stray but I took him in." Jem murmured, nudging Church from his lap. Taking the bottles from the table, Jem held them up, looking at them in clearer light. "These will help slow the drug?"

"Yes. They will slow the effects but you must still take the demon poisonings. Nasty thing, it is. I would do more if I could but I am...inexperienced when it comes to your illness." Catarina twisted a piece of white hair in her fingers. "But, healing people, Shadowhunter or not, is what I do and I will try everything in my power to help you."

**~~ooo~~**

"Personally, I prefer the books to movies." Tessa laughed, hugging _The Fault in Our Stars _to her chest. Will smirked slightly, flipping through his copy of _Great Expectations._

"True." He said with a shrug of his shoulders. "But that doesn't make the movie bad. The 1946 _Great Expectations _movie was done quite nicely, but the 2012 version was awful. I prefer the classics." As time wore away the awkward silences and quarrels between them, it was easier, she found, to find merriment in Will's company. It really hadn't been his fault, had it? After all, he wasn't allowed to tell her about the Shadow World and when they figured out she was a Downworlder, it was already too late for them. Now, he was just Will. He was just her boyfriends brother and that was it. Wasn't it?

"I do love classics." Tessa sighed, a hint of a smile on her lips. "But I also hold high esteem for newer novels as well. They are much more relatable."

"In a way, yes." Will admitted, though he was still staring at his book. "However, they are all based on the same thing, aren't they? They merely have different settings and time periods. _The Scarlett Letter _and _The Great Gatsby _are in two different time periods and yet, they are both about revenge."

"I suppose you are correct."

"I know."

"You have to be the biggest jerk I have ever had the pleasure of knowing."

"You know Gabriel."

"Even he isn't that bad."

"Don't worry." Will said smugly. "People who have been graced by my presence often suffer from delusional thoughts."

_In a way, _Tessa thought, _you're right. _Opening her book, she closed her eyes partway in recollection. "You've quoted this book at me before." She paused. "When we were on less friendlier terms."

"Were we ever on friendlier terms because, if I recall correctly, you were always either trying to kill me with a paintball gun or bore holes in the back of my head with your eyes."

"Will." Tessa whispered softly, her eyes dark. She could feel him staring at her with the utmost concentration. "However can I read with you making such a racket? And I can't read anyway under such scrutiny."

"_Because you are beautiful. I enjoy looking at beautiful people, and I decided a while ago not to deny myself the simpler pleasures of existence._" Will quoted languidly, looking down at his book.

Tessa narrowed her eyes, a small blossom of confusion clawing at her. There was a terrible pain that ripped at her chest and, only when she saw Jem walking back up the driveway from God-knows-where, she realized that the pain was her heart being torn in half.


	91. The Gift of Love

_There was darkness; darkness choking his body, darkness ringing in his ears, darkness driving his mind over the edge of fear and into the pit of endless insanity. _

_And then, there was fire._

_A silent scream built up in the back of his throat as hot as embers pressed into his skin, white acid burning at the backs of his eyelids. Vaguely, he was aware of someone standing beside him but, through the sharp cut planes of fire and shadow, the figure was just a black smudge. Soon, the pain grew dimmer as the fire grew brighter until it wasn't fire at all, but a mere glisten across the gaunt landscape. With his knees pressed into the craggy ground and his hand raised to his chest, Jem pushed himself up, a slight smell of sickness encircling him. Wind as rotten as demon ichor rustled his hair, leaving a sweaty, gritty feeling on the back of his neck. Through the sand and black fog, Jem could see a more defined silhouette. _

_There were wings, no doubt, and it's appearance was ghastly, but the whispers that echoed through the air wrung him into anxiety. As if a huge rift in the world he was standing on had appeared, he started falling. The wings were soon around him, sheltering him as he fell not to save him, but to merely prolong his existence until the final message was conveyed. "Wrath will be your oblivion. Oblivion will be his kingdom, and on the throne of chaos he will sit."_

_And then, there were flames and everything that had been was undone._

It had seemed as if something had been sitting on his chest when Jem awoke, his palms sweaty and his chest tight with pain. Only then did he realize that something _was_ sitting on his chest in the form of a large gray cat. Church blinked at him with sleepy eyes as if to say, "you have disturbed my sleep," before padding beside his head and letting his plume of a tail lay across Jem's face. Sitting up, Jem prodded Church from his bed, pushing hair from his eyes. Swinging his legs out of his bed, he opened the door, letting Church out before standing there, dumbfounded, in the middle of his room.

He hadn't remembered letting Church in, but then again, Tessa and Will were always sticking him in his room since Jem was the only one who Church liked. Of course, Church had a mutual relationship with Cecily after she had given him sardines, but Jem _had_ been the one to take Church home with him and was the one person who could hold Church and not get his face bitten off.

When he went to sit back down, he was immediately thankful that he had set his phone to vibrate rather than on ringer when the screen of his phone lit up and buzzed on his desk. Picking it up, Jem stifled a yawn as he sat down on the edge of his bed, answering the call. "Will..? What are you doing up at this time?"

"Did you let Church out?" Will said with exhaustion lacing his voice, the sound of a cat meowing incessantly in the background. "He's making the most dreadful row after he opened the door and jumped onto my bed."

"You can lock him out. He wont mind."

"I would," Will sighed, a hint of aggravation in his voice, "but I'm too _tired _to get up. I was hoping you would come and do it."

Jem grinned slightly with amusement, listening to his agitated grumbles as he scolded Church. "I'm afraid I can't do anything about that. Ask Cecily to give you one of her magical, non-existent, caffeinated drinks."

"Non-existent? How will that help me?"

"Use your imagination."

"That won't work. I can't just imagine a caffeinated drink."

"Funny," Jem said dryly, smiling inwardly, "your imagination has never failed you before."

"Hilarious." Will deadpanned, his voice growing heavy as he spoke slowly and tiredly. "I need more time for sleeping."

"Sorry to break it to you, Will, but you can't lengthen the day."

"_What a slut time is. She screws everybody._"

"What book was that from?"

"_The Fault in Our Stars._"

Jem leaned back into his pillow, pressing his phone against his ear. "You seem to like that book very much. I think I saw Tessa reading it when I arrived back at the house. It seems like that book is all the rage."

"The book is just okay, but the quotes imbued in it are brilliant." Will breathed, the strain in his voice making it clear that he was fighting to stay awake. "Tessa and I were just talking about it this afternoon."

Jem paused, licking his lips. "I am glad you both are not set out to murder each other anymore."

"We would never."

Turning up the volume on his phone, Jem held it lazily beside him, his eyes drooping as the minutes ticked by. "I...I like her very much. I think she will fit in quite nicely at the Institute."

"I never knew my parabatai would fall to such mortal emotions."

"I am not a heartless robot." Jem laughed halfheartedly. "She is different than most."

"Of course you are not heartless. My Jem without feeling would be as useless as a world without you. I do not think of you as emotionless." Will's voice was clear and bleak, but hesitant. "Some people were born to be alone. I am glad you have found love in her." There was a short moment of silence. "You, out of all people, deserve to be happy." The call cut off with an ugly tone as he hung up. With a sigh, Jem turned off his phone, dropping it beside him and watching it sink into the sheets.

Though Will's words were encouraging, his voice held more than just hope for his parabatai. There was grief behind the layers of stalled emotions and a dark shadow hanging over him like a cat that hunts it's prey. Never had Jem felt more lost when it came to conversing with his parabatai, or so alone.


	92. Institute

"It's enormous!" Tessa exclaimed, walking up the steps of the Institute, her curious gray eyes as wide as saucers. Her fingers, which were tangled loosely with Jem's, were itching to reach forward and explore the mesmerizing architecture and run her fingertips across the chiseled marble and stone to learn what wonders lay before her. Will grinned at her plainly astonished expression, opening the heavy door and letting them inside before locking it with intricate clockwork and swirls of gear that Tessa could only dream of understanding.

"It had become home for most of us now." Cecily said plainly, her black, inky hair falling unbound over her shoulders. "Well, most of them. I hardly stayed here for a two months before going to mundane school, but it feels like home now that I'm here with Will."

"Aww. How very touching." Will said in a mocking voice. Cecily shot him a glare, kicking him hard in the back of his leg with her studded heels. Will yelped, holding his leg above the ground and hissing in pain. Exchanging amused glances, Tessa and Cecily both smiled inwardly at the display Will was purposefully making, playing the role of an ever so amusing drama queen.

"Will and I lived here for six years...Well, he was here almost seven because he came here when he just had turned twelve but..." Jem trailed off his sentence when Church slipped clumsily on the marble floor, lying dramatically on his back with all four paws sticking in the air as if he had knocked himself out. Pulling away from Tessa, he scooped Church up in his arms, scratching the cat's forehead with one finger. "I'm sure Church is going to love your closet, Will. Food wrappers and all."

"That was when I was thirteen. Plus, I cleaned them up." Will commented, scowling at the perpetually unpleasant cat. "Besides, if that creature you call a cat comes into my room again, I am making us stew and I won't tell anyone what kind of meat I put in it."

Tessa frowned. "You practically just told us."

"Enough about Church and my closet, though. Trust me, James, nastier things have happened in my closet than food wrappers." Clearing his throat, Will smiled at Jem's sickened expression. Leaning against one of the stone pillars, Will studied the little engravings of runes no bigger than his family ring. "It feels weird to be here again after such a mundane life." His tone bitters on mundane and, for a moment, Tessa swore she saw his blue iris's tinged with a dark, glowing red. "Mundanes are useless, most of them and-" He hissed in pain, drawing away his hand, that was rested on the line of runes on the pillar, with a twisted expression on his face. "Ouch." He said, his tone perfectly normal as he studied the burn on his hand.

Jem glanced over to him. "What happened? Wasps again? Invisible, microscopic Shax?"

"No...I don't know what happened...It's never happened before." Will said, studying his hand. When Jem went over to his parabatai to inspect the burn, Will jerked his hand away. Tessa swallowed. _How...Peculiar._

Cecily had started this other conversation about a demon that had nearly eaten Gabriel, but Tessa was still curious about the burn on Will's hand. Silently cursing herself for her inquisitiveness, she pretended to go off away and study the walls. Closing her eyes, she reached into her mind, trying to pull Will's soul back together and focus it on her eyes. Memories flashed on the backs of her eyelids and she saw him, looking down at his hand at a burn that was in the exact shape of an angelic rune.

How could an angelic rune hurt Will?

"Tessa," there was a hand on her shoulder and she jumped, blinking as her eyes paled to gray again. Turning around, she smoothed her hair.

"Yes?"

"I should show you to your room so you don't get lost."

"But all my things. They're in-"

"Thomas is helping us with those." Jem answered quickly, pulling her back with Will and Cecily. "You should come with us. I would hate for you to become lost." He smiled crookedly. "Trust me; it's happened before with me and its no fun having to roam the halls."

"Especially," Will said, his eyes glinting in mischief, "when there are Lightwoods inhabiting them. Who knows what sort of things-"

"I'm sure neither of them would ever do such a thing saying that they are both with people." Cecily spat, only a little angrily, jabbing Will hard in the side.

Jem blinked. "T-They aren't...going back to Chiswick? I was almost certain they said that they were only staying for a few nights."

"I know. A disappointment that they aren't, isn't it?"

Shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts, Jem sighed. "My imagination must be getting the better of me."

"It must be. After all, you know how your mind," Will said delicately, avoiding Jem's gaze, "gets the better of you sometimes."

Jem's eyes narrowed but he didn't say anything, merely taking Tessa's wrist and leading her along delicately. Splitting from the group, Tessa followed Jem through the halls and corridors, wondering how she could ever memorize where her room would be when she couldn't even remember the first turn she took. Finally stopping at a door, Jem pushed it open, leaning against the doorframe. "This can be your room."

"It's much bigger than the one at the house." Tessa noted, walking in. _Did all Shadowhunters live in such luxurious Institutes? _"Thank you. When do you think I can move all my belongings in here?"

"Thomas and Sophie help with the main things, but mostly, small items like your books will be brought here in bags and such. Don't worry. We're trying to settle as soon as we can." He looked up at the Institute, clasping his hands in front of him and letting out a deep breath. "Finally back here. If you need Cecily, she's going to be a few doors down. We figured you would want to be near her just in case you needed directions."

"Yes, thank you again." Tessa murmured, sitting down on her bed. "The Institute, it's beautiful."

"It's home." Jem shrugged, fiddling with the ring on his hand. "If you need anything, I would normally say to come find us or something of the sorts, but, erm, in this case, you can call any of us by phone."

Tessa laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."


	93. A Burning Pentacle

The burn on his hand was still stinging from where he had rested his hand on the pillar. Touching the rune on the pillar that had burned him, he raised an eye quizzically. All he felt was cool stone under his fingertips. _Perhaps_, he thought, trying to give himself peace of mind, _it was just some sort of protection spell that didn't mix well with the runes...Or left over demon ichor, possibly?_ He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of his troubling thoughts before making his way to his room. Though Jem had always complained about being so far away from his room, Will enjoyed being in the corner of the Institute.

It was quieter there and he could read in peace without being disturbed by Jessamine's pitiful yowls about love lives and petty complaints about it being too hot or her head hurting. He grumbled under his breath. She had never really been one of his favorites, nor did he regret ever breaking up with her in the short period they were together, but she came to the Institute when she was fourteen and Shadowhunters are obligated to take in other homeless Shadowhunters. He wished they didn't have that Law.

_You were once that Shadowhunter, begging at the London Institute's door for them to let you in. _A small voice spoke at the back of his head. He pushed it down, though, silently wishing that Jessamine would just leave London altogether.

He swung the door to his room open, his eyes softening at the sight of his old room. Many of his belongings were still there: books, inkwells, clothes, and weapons, strewn about the room in a disorderly fashion. Then again, everything in his room was disorderly.

Moving over to wash his face in the bathroom that was connected to his room, he let out a ragged breath of air when something started burning at his chest. Agony shot down his body as fire seared his skin, his hands bracing against his dresser so he didn't fall. The burning, though still present, had ebbed away slightly, making it more bearable. Clutching his chest, he stumbled into the bathroom, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt and pulling it down. His eyes widened, glinting with pain and confusion when he saw burned lines curling into a pattern. Etched right below his collarbone, a star started to form, a long, thin ringlet curving around it to form a glowing, red pentacle the size of bottle cap.

Touching it tenderly with his fingertip, he hissed when the burned skin protested, pins and needles prickling at his chest. It had ceased to glow, but the pentacle remained like a thin, raw, red rune right above his heart.

He knew that he should tell Jem, that he should try to figure out what had happened and why the angelic rune had burned him and why the mysterious rune had appeared on his chest but, somehow, he didn't want to. He shouldn't. He couldn't. _This is for the better_, a small voice whispered in his thoughts, cutting through like a dull knife. _Wrath will be their oblivion. Oblivion will be your kingdom, and on the throne of chaos you will sit._

**~~ooo~~**

Jem was glad they had moved back into the Institute.

While it was nice to take a breather from the constant political requests that the Clave had when it came to the Institute, it had become his home and it was where most of his better memories were. Giving Thomas at grateful smile as he carried items into the Institute, Jem saw his violin and drug case. He frowned, but picked up his belongings and made his way to his room.

If there was anything he knew that had to be put in his room before anything so it wasn't left in the car or the wide halls of the Institute, it was his violin. Temperature change, he had always remembered, is very damaging to the wood and strings, causing them to snap and shrink in the most peculiar of places. He had left his violin next to a fireplace once, waking up in the morning to realize that the strings had snapped as they stretched mercilessly. However, no matter what he did, the A string always had a tendency to snap even when the temperature of the room was average.

Finally reaching his room, he set the violin carefully on his dresser and the heavy silver box perched upon his mantle. Shutting the door softly, he took out one of the vials from his drug box. Unscrewing it, he lifted it to his lips, downing it with one gulp.

He was thankful that the vials were small because it burned as it ran down his throat. He hadn't seen much change since the last vial he took except for the fact that his eyelashes had darkened slightly, thin strands of his hair slowly darkening to black. However, it wasn't as noticible that Tessa or Will had pointed it out and asked about it, but still there was some change.

"Knock, knock." A voice came from the door and Jem quickly stuffed the empty vial in his pocket. Cecily stepped inside, her hands on her hips. "Have you seen my dagger...The one with the black etching across it? I've been looking for it everywhere.'

"I haven't," Jem answered, snapping the drug box closed, "but if I do, I'll make sure to tell you."

"Thanks. With all the bustling and looking around and such, I'm sure its around here somewhere but it just got lost."

"It is probably in with the boxes and such. I'll tell Will to give it to you if he sees it. He's normally the one who manages to track down all the missing daggers."

"Thanks again." Cecily smiled.

"No problem."

"I should be going now. I promised Sophie I'd help her with cooking." Cecily said, turning around and heading outside. She paused, glancing back. "And, James, if you're trying to be secretive about anything, I would close the door _all the way _beforehand so people don't get the slight inkling that you're doing something suspicious." She tossed her hair. "I don't know. Just a thought."


	94. Instant Noodles

When Tessa was peacefully walking from her room, through the halls, and over to Will and Cecily, who were standing in the main room, the serenity was broken when a sealed, Styrofoam container that contained Will's life nutrients flew from the dining room doorway, hitting Will smack in the face.

"Willaim Herondale! I thought we agreed that this foul, dehydrated food was not allowed in this house...er, Institute." The voice yelled from the open door, more small containers skidding across the floor and stopping near Will. Jem emerged from the doorway, his hands on his hips and frowning, though his eyes still held an amused smile in them. "We agreed that we wouldn't eat this Raziel forsaken food that England has the racist nerve to call Asian food because it has dried up, little noodle-things in them. Just because you don't care what you eat doesn't mean you can store this poison in the kitchen, it does not give you the right to call it Asian, nor does it benefit you health wise."

"Its not my fault you're a health freak." Will said, smirking as he held his hands up in defense just in case Jem decided to pelt him with another one of the, "Just add water," meals. "You did tell me once, last year or the year before that or so, that Cecily and I were spending too much at restaurants and Burger King and that pizza place that Conrad was working at."

"What are you talking about?"

"Conrad. Remember him? About ye' tall," Will said, gesturing to his shoulder, "stupid, impetuous...part of Woolsey's clan?"

"No, I know who Conrad is. I never remember telling you two to stop getting food out at places, though you were spending too much, but this," Jem held up one of the packages, "is much worse than whatever you were eating."

"Why are you so uptight about it? I've heard that all the mundane students eat it."

Jem grimaced. "I seriously doubt that."

"Yes, they do."

"No, I'm sure they don't."

"I'm pretty sure that 'Asian' dried ramen noodles are a necessity to all teenagers."

"I still don't believe you."

"Actually James," Tessa said, walking into the main room and standing beside Cecily. She shrugged. "I'm sorry to say this but they do. It's easy and it's cheap."

"I refuse to accept that this is the type of 'Asian' food that Englanders go home and look forward to." Jem announced, clutching the Styrofoam tightly in his hands before throwing it at Will. "_Yáng guǐzi_. This ramen has tainted your mind." Picking up the container as Jem turned around, Will pulled his arm back, whipping the dried meal in Jem's direction. As the container sailed towards him, Jem glanced back, a quicksilver of a grin on his face as he moved aside, the ramen exploding as it hit the wall with a loud crunch. Dried food rained over the floor as the wrapper split, covering the ground in powder and crunchy, hard noodles. Will groaned.

"You're going to be the one to clean it up." Cecily laughed, patting her brother's back and exchanging gleeful smiles with Jem.

"Cecily, also, I found your dagger and a few other things of yours in one of the spare rooms," Jem said, choking down fits of laughter when he saw Will's good natured, yet disgruntled, expression. "If you'd like to help me fetch them...I could use some help."

"You did? What else did you find?" Bounding over to Jem, she stepped in the ramen pile, shaking her heel as she bounced into the kitchen, trying to pick dried noodles from the bottom of her shoe. Their voices disappeared as they headed down the hall, leaving Tessa and Will in the main room.

"What was Cecily-" When Tessa turned to look at Will, she found that, to her surprise, Will was no longer to be seen. Glancing down the hall, Tessa put one hand on her hip in confusion. "Will! Where are you?" A loud yowl rang through the hall and Tessa saw Will slinking out into the main room with scratches down his arms, Church held frozen in his grasp. She stuck her bottom lip out. "Whatever are you doing to that poor cat?"

"I'm not going to clean the noodles up." Will grunted, Church desperately trying to climb onto his face and claw his eyes out. "This nuisance can do it for me." He tossed Church in the midst of the mess, scowling when the cat simply rolled around in the powder and noodles before drawing a paw over his powdery face, cleaning himself. "Good enough. A few days ago, he came into my room and-" He cut off suddenly, hissing between his teeth and clutching his chest. Sucking in a shallow gasp of air, he straightened, his eyes burning with pain.

"Will! Are you alright?" Tessa asked, putting her hand lightly on his shoulder. "You've been acting peculiar, especially yesterday when you burned your hand and wouldn't let Jem see it."

"When was that?" Will asked, confused. Tessa gave him a withering look.

"Yesterday. Remember? You were up against the pillar talking about mundanes and then you got hurt and didn't let Jem see it."

"I think you're mistaken." Will shook his head genuinely. _She's right. I did burn my hand, but I never was talking about mundanes nor did I draw away from Jem when he tried to see it...In fact, I don't remember anyone noticing I got burned...I was just leaning against the pillar and the next moment...The burn was there._

"Fine." Tessa grumbled. "Be that way. You should take more considerately to the people who are worried for you."

"Wait, who told you I got burned?" Will called after her. Tessa turned around, her hands on her hips.

"Will, we were all watching you when you got hurt by something on the pillar." Tessa said, an exasperated look on her face. Will looked away from her and at the angelic rune burn that was hidden by his shirtsleeve. Why was it that she remembered something he couldn't?

**Author's Note: Hello lovelies! I thank you for reading my story and I just wanted to tell you guys that, if you are Wessa'ers, I'm making a Wessa/Jessa fanfiction called To Endure, To Love that I assure will have more Wessa than this one. Check it out when you have a chance and please review because I need imput. It's the first kind of story that I've written that way.**

**I'm also not going to be able to update as much since I'm leaving for London today (HAVING A DATE WITH JEM AND WILL) and I might or might not have free wifi, plus, I can't write when I'm making out with Jem and Will...right?**

**Love, Love. :)**


	95. The Voices Inside

Normally, walking the streets at night had always helped clear his mind. Tonight, however, it seemed as if nothing had been able to lessen his sense of dread.

Returning back to the Institute, Will sat down on the garden bench, pressing his hand to where the strange mark had burned his skin. It had stopped stinging, but it carried with it an edge that he couldn't shake off. Putting his elbows on his knees and setting his face in his hands, Will took a shuddering breath, trying to subdue the heaviness in his chest.

The garden was lovely. He had almost forgotten about it until Cecily had mentioned it before retiring to bed. Though, that particular night, when Will looked up from his shaky breaths of air, something had seemed wrong. The moonlight glinting off the windows looked like shattered glass, cutting through the elegance and marring his gaze as if they had cut him. The roses were like spirals of blood, their thorns standing out like weapons and insults, no longer beautiful but merely a threat. The runes on his hands were dark and swirling, looking more like scars than blessing from the Angel. Wind as hot and dry as sand swept past him, whistling and screaming through the branches of the trees that stood so dauntingly above him. Grinding his teeth, Will took ragged gasps, nausea rising in his chest.

Voices as cruel as blunted knives sank into him, making him feel like a specimen at a lab table. They were malicious, sharp clawed, and sickening, driving into his thoughts whispering words of violence and murder. Rising to his feet, Will looked around wildly, half expecting for someone to be there when, in reality, he found himself alone in the gardens. Still, they were loud. Too loud to the point where Will felt a splitting throb wrench at his thoughts. They were like fire.

Scorching.

Searing.

Blazing.

"Shut up!" Will whispered, holding his hand at his temple. They grew louder, the pentacle starting to burn again. "Shut up!" Glancing behind him, Will pulled a seraph blade from his weapons belt, pointing it at a dark figure in the shadows. The figure advanced towards him, moving quickly and quietly over the gravel. Raising the blade, ready to attack, Will prepared to strike, waiting until the shadow moved close enough to him.

It was nearing closer; far too close for his liking.

As Will swung the blade with utter force, the figure let out a grunt of effort, catching Will's hand and stopping the blade from sinking into his throat. Two eyes blinked at him, glinting silver in the pale light. "Will? What are you doing?"

Letting out a sigh of relief, Will stepped back, tossing his blade to the side. "I thought...that you were a demon...or something."

Moving towards his parabatai, Jem took Will's wrist, leading him back to the bench and forcing him to sit. "Are you feeling alright? You were talking to yourself. It frightened Church."

"To hell with Church." Will muttered, hunching his shoulders and pressing his face into his hand, trying to ease the pain in his head. "I'm fine...I'm just restless."

"And why are you dressed in gear?"

"I went out." Unclipping his weapons belt, Will set it beside him. "For a walk." He added hastily, his blue eyes dark and glinting with red.

Jem frowned, his eyes enormous with worry and nervousness. "You're not going to the," he paused, looking at the floor, "Downworlder Markets anymore...are you?" He asked, avoiding Will's gaze. Sucking in air between his teeth, Will let out a shaky exhale, knowing what Jem meant by bringing up the markets.

"No. I wouldn't." Will responded, pulling and fiddling with the sleeve of his jacket. "I'm not going back to that again."

"Good." Jem murmured, relieved. Taking Will's hand, Jem turned towards him, looking up at him through a veil of silver hair. "If there is anything of the matter," Jem said hesitantly, his voice gentle, "I would be most glad to help you. Something seems wrong and I hate to see my parabatai in such a state."

"There are some burdens that must be carried alone."

"_Entreat me not to leave thee, Or return from following after thee—For whither thou goest, I will go, And where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried. The Angel do so to me, and more also, If aught but death part thee and me_." Jem quoted, light reflecting off his eyes. "You are my _parabatai_. In a way, you are my own soul as well. I am obligated to help you in any way. You speak of this burden and, though I will leave you to yourself if you wish me to, I know that I should help you lessen that burden. It is because you are my parabatai that I should do so. Do you not remember that oath we once took to bind our souls?"

"The oath." Will echoed, looking at Jem with incredulousness in his eyes. "You still remember? I thought you had trouble memorizing such long verses and phrases, especially ones that seem like nonsense to you."

Jem laughed, the sound lovely through the ever quieting night. "If there is anything that I would never forget, it would be the parabatai ceremony." He smiled with wonder, lacing his fingers with Will's. "That. _That_ was the day I realized my purpose. _That_ was the day I really started living because I knew that, whatever mess you got me into, at least you would be there to get us right back out."

"You were a saint. You had always been a saint and, whenever trouble would find me, Charlotte would never get mad at you."

"Oh, William. No one in this world is a saint." Jem sighed, still smiling slightly. "If it weren't for everything, I wouldn't be who I am today and I would rather have to go through losing my best friend, my parents, and my home all over again if it meant being where I am tight now because I can't imagine having a parabatai other than yourself, even if you do give the world hell sometimes."

Sighing contentedly, the corners of Will's mouth pulled up. "_Hell is empty. And all the devils are here_."

Jem raised an eyebrow. "Shakespeare?"

"Mmhmm." Will nodded.

Pulling him up, Jem brushed his finger against Will's cheek. "You worry me sometimes."

"Because you think I'm a devil?"

"No. Because I think you are too easily captivated by them. You often let your mind be persuaded, though you remain stubborn all the same."

Will furrowed his eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"There are bad things in this world, Will. You, out of all people, know that you are no stranger to them. There is a reason why you are so easily driven for darkness and I just wish that if there was something biting at you, you would be able to say so. We all have our secrets." Jem whispered, leading Will back inside. "Yours tend to be darker than most."

Will hissed in pain when a sharp stab went through his thoughts as if the voices were about to start again, but there was only silence. Jem froze, catching Will's wrist and studying his parabatai's face. Pulling away, Will put one hand on the wall as if to steady himself. "I'm alright." He swallowed, the whispers held back by a row of flames. "I'm just a little...tired."


	96. Rebound

**Author's Note: What astounds me most about this story is that I have written like 100,000 words and have been writing this story for a decent amount of time and, already, my new-ish story To Endure, To Love already has more favorites and follows. That does horrible things to my self confidence. I do think I'm actually putting more effort into that one, seeing as my writing has hopefully improved some, though it's hardly evident in this story.**

**Oh well, I think high school fanfics are overdone partly anyway. (Though some have amazing concepts. Cough, cough. SilverC). I have also created another fanfiction, so if any of you video game junkies and fantasy lovers who are in love with TID as much as I am want to check out Shadowed Worlds, that would make my day. :)**

**Love, love, ****Yeah, yeah. You know who wrote this. :P**

**I really like cookies.**

Slipping a coat over his shirt, Jem walked tiredly out into the hall, looking for Will. He had been acting most peculiar the night before, though he was sure that nostalgia and nightmares were to blame. Voices echoed down the hall, noticeably Tessa's and Will's coming from the kitchen. Pausing at the doorway, Jem peered around the corner, just watching them from a distance so they didn't see him.

"I don't feel like eggs." Tessa sighed, grabbing the carton from Will's hand and putting it back into the fridge.

Will shot her a grin. "But I can cook them for you, with all the love of my charming mood in it."

Giving him a scathing look, Tessa scoffed. "_Anyone_ can cook eggs. Jem's made them before, Cecily has made them before...You've probably made them before."

"But mine are special." Cooed Will, smirking and raising an eyebrow. "Or are you turning down an offer that I have so graciously made?"

"What, no-"

"I knew you couldn't resist." Will said cheekily, grabbing the carton back and a pan from the cupboard. _Dear God,_ Jem thought, cringing. _Will couldn't cook of his life depended on it._ Laughing silently as Will, with all the confidence of a peacock, put the pan on the oven and turned it on whilst putting oil on it, Jem rested on hand on the doorjamb. Glancing at Tessa, Will licked his lips. "Err...How long do you cook them for?"

Tessa's groan turned into a hitch of laughter when she saw his puzzled expression. "You can't cook eggs?"

"Maybe not," Will said, his mouth curling into a smile, "But I can eat them very seductively."

"Gross." Tessa butted him out of the way, grabbing the eggs and cracking them into the pan. "Allow me. I can't cook well, but I can at least cook eggs...Unlike someone."

"Hmm? I wasn't listening to what you were saying." Will said, looking up at the walls and ceiling. "I haven't the slightest hang on what insinuation you are making." Tessa just laughed, staring down at the eggs, which she flipped with a spatula. When she wasn't looking, Will was just standing beside her...watching with a playfulness and affection in his eyes that gave away the lies he said to Jem. When Tessa met his eyes, she smiled again, enthusiasm evident in her eyes as well. Backing away, Jem raised his hand to his mouth, a wave of regret washing over him. _By the Angel...What have I done? What have I taken away from him? If I had only known..._

Making his way back towards his room, down the hall and behind a closed door, he crossed the floor and grabbed the drug box. Pinching a more than necessary amount in his mouth, he put his face in his hands, his breathing quickening. He had always been very good at reading Will; he had learned to detect the slightest change in moods and the smallest twitch in expression, but never had he ever imagined that Will was _still _in love with Tessa.

And that Tessa was still in love with Will.

He would do anything for his parabatai

He would do anything for Tessa.

Jem wasn't angry; he was never angry, merely ashamed that he had been so lost and in love with Tessa that he had never seen the signs. _I'm an idiot. I'm a selfish idiot. _Jem scolded himself disappointedly, grabbing his violin and tuning it. The pegs twisted easily under his fingers as he tightened the A string, which often had the tendency to snap. Even then, he didn't really care that the hard press of his fingers on the strings would eventually break them.

_Distractions,_ Jem thought bitterly, _that's all this is. Running away, the violin playing, the drug; that's what these are. Distractions. _Subconsciously playing the same, short melody over and over again, he could feel the drug start to fire through his veins, making everything seem foggy and yet so clear at the same time. Perhaps he had seen wrong, perhaps he had been too tired, but no...Nothing had seemed clearing until then.

A slight knock at the door surprised him, though he didn't cease to play. "Who is it?" He called out, squinting when light filtered into the room.

"Jem." Tessa yawned, leaning her head against the wall. "There's breakfast. Mainly cereal and a few salvageable eggs that Will _promised _that he could finish up for me."

"Tessa." Jem murmured, his eyes dark and pained when he opened them. He quivered feverishly, his hands gripping the bow and violin. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She gave him a look of surprise. "Tell you what?"

Shaking his head, he pulled his violin to his chest. "All this time," he whispered, "I didn't know I was just a rebound."

"James. What are you talking about?"

"You know it's true." Jem said quickly, the words rolling off his tongue, "I've always been just _the friend. _William has always been the brightest star, the one to get attention. After you split apart," Jem bit his tongue to stop the words from coming, but they came anyway, "all I became was a rebound. I was a second choice."

Drawing back, Tessa gave him a slow look as if she weren't quite comprehending what he was saying. "I always loved you."

"But you loved Will first." Jem turned away from her, hating himself for the hurt expression that spread across her face. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. If I had known that you still loved him, I would have-"

"You would have what?" Tessa asked quietly, her voice shaking. "Don't do this to yourself." Hurrying over to him, she pulled the violin and bow from his hands and pressing the back of her hand to his forehead. "You have a fever. You're too warm. You're going to make yourself-"

"Sick. I know." Jem spat, shocked by the savagery that laced his voice. "The past seven years have been filled with people telling me to calm down, urging to take the drug and people fretting over how I'm sick and how I'm going to die." His hands were shaking, his mouth numbing where the drug had touched it and his throat burning where the powder still clung without water. "Pity. Sympathy. Doting over. I've always told myself that I could survive through the coughing fits and the pain of my addiction ever, single day of my life, but what I can't stand is the _pity _I get. You, out of everyone, told me that you understood."

"Jem-"

"But now I'm starting to think that everything. All of this," he gestured at them both, "was all because you felt sympathy."

"I didn't know you would be so angry-"

"Angry?" Jem let out a choked cry. "I'm not angry. I just wish you had told me instead of putting up with me...Everything. I wanted the best for you and Will and, when I saw how broken he was when you split up, I could feel the pain, all the disappointment. I just wanted him to be happy...And now I have stolen that."

"You think _everything _has been because of pity?" Tessa whispered, her voice cracking. Jem couldn't help but feel horrible, but he couldn't control it, not when the drug still had him trapped under it's glass. "You don't sound like yourself. Jem, I love you-"

"I promised myself that I wouldn't hurt Will...but I never meant to hurt you." Jem said, looking utterly shattered. "If I had known you were still in love with him and he, you, I wouldn't have ever been so selfish-"

"Jem. Stop it!" Tessa said, her fists tight with hurt. Taking his wrists, Tessa looked up, her eyes enormous. "I always loved you both. Even _you_ say that Will is your own soul. You were never a rebound."

"It's easier this way." Jem said flatly, pulling from her grip and ushering her out of his room. "I'm going to die anyway. Less people get hurt when I don't interfere."

"Jem-"

"Just please, go away, Tessa." Jem sighed, closing the door and sinking to the floor. "I just want Will to be happy."


	97. Oliver

**Author's Note: Yeah...Soooo...It's me...I haven't been updating. Sorry, I'm just a freaking crappy lala confused have no idea what I'm writing shwahyedkbgegywqkqihkqwjuwddwhdawhPO3r73up9qw39up1u[9qwihfq3wihy93gwgew.**

** *ten minutes later***

** Soooo...Yeah. Sorry about that. :/ I've just been really lacking any discipline, seeing as I've been getting more into Role Play...But erm, I have a new story that is Jessa, Wessa, HERON-FREAKING-STAIRS, and Jillessa called Vividly, so if you wanna check it out and leave a review, it would make my day. :)**

**Love, love,**

**MortalShadowhunter**

Cecily kicked Jem's door with the toe of her shoe, holding a box in her hand that was cutting off blood circulation to her fingers. "By the Angel, Jem. Open up. My hands are going to freakin' fall off." She was usually patient when it came to Jem, as he was with her, but her fingers were starting to go cold and white and her nerves were starting to sing with agitation. "I have some of your papers and music sheets. Damn it, open the door."

After another long minute of waiting, she sighed and dropped the boxes, settling with the fact that he wasn't in his room. It _had _been particularly quiet in the Institute that day and she wouldn't be surprised if Jem and Will were gone on a demon hunt. However, when she went to go to the kitchen to grab a coke, there wasn't _anyone _that she could see or hear of, which surprised her as there were normally a few people milling about. But all there was, was silence.

Church was sitting on the counter, licking something off the counter with a contented purr. When he saw Cecily, his ears pricked up and he cocked his head to the side, staring at her. Stretching, he padded just out of sight where she could only see the tip of his tail, which was like a giant feathered plume. She went over to pet Church, seeing as he seemed like he was in a good mood, when Church jumped into the outstretched arms of someone out of view.

"Hey, Church." A soft voice said as Cecily neared the curve of where the figure was standing behind.

"James? Is that you?" Cecily asked, hearing footsteps then pad down the hall at the sound of her voice. She growled in frustration as the person disappeared behind a door and into a hallway. "Wait up! Jem!" Increasing her pace after the person who she assumed was Jem, Cecily fled down the hall, only to be greeted with a door shut swiftly in her face. Reaching forward, she jiggled the doorknob, finding that it was locked as well. The box she had put outside his room was also gone; _he had to of put it away_, she assumed, raising a hand to knock on the door. "Jem?"

There was a sound of movement in the room, a meow and footsteps. "Go away Cecily." Someone said, muffled behind the door.

She frowned. "C'mon. I need to talk to you."

"Cecily. Please, please, please...Just leave me alone." Jem pleaded, his voice strained.

"I...I was just going to run back to the house and grab a few things..." Cecily lied, fidgeting. "Just thought you would want to know." When there was no answer, she sighed and pulled out her phone, remembering that she, in fact, _had _left her assortment of weapons in her room back at the house, which she knew she had to get at some point.

Grabbing her sweatshirt and slipping it on as she made her way to the car, she dialed in her brothers number in her phone, putting it on speaker phone. When she sat down in her car, he picked up, his words tired and clipped.

"_What do you want Cecy_?" He said, breaking up slightly due to bad reception.

Cecily swallowed. "Where are you?"

"_In my room...Why?"_

"Oh...I thought you had gone out, seeing as I didn't see you this morning."

"_No, I'm at the Institute_." Will's voice faltered. "_I was just feeling...sick_."

"Oh, well, I'm headed to the old house." Cecily backed out of the driveway, her phone perched on the passenger seat. "You need anything?"

"_No_."

"Well, I might get food afterwards. You want food?"

"_No_."

"Are you listening to me?"

"_No_."

Making a sound of frustration in the back of her throat, she picked up the phone in one hand, knowing that Jem, if he were in the car, would have scolded her for only having one hand on the wheel; he was a safety freak that way. "Goodbye, Will."

"_No_."

Hanging up on him, seeing as he wasn't even listening to what she was saying, Cecily was utterly thankful that the drive from the Institute to the one to the house was a fairly short one. Making a sharp turn and flipping off a driver that rightfully honked at her, she cringed as she swerved slightly on the street, parking in front of the house. She swore in Welsh as she exited the car, her hair catching in the seatbelt, but she pulled away anyway and ignored the fact that there were a few dark strands caught in the buckle.

The inside of the house was nearly empty; they were, after all, only using it temporarily. Making a b-line to her room, Cecily knelt to the ground, reaching under her bed. Curling her fingers around the strap of a duffle bag, she pulled it from underneath her bed and blew off the dust. Slinging it over her shoulder, she went t the kitchen, the house eerily empty and devoid of life.

"Damn." She swore as she opened the fridge door, finding it just as empty as the house. It didn't help that she was _starving. _"Freaking Charlotte threw everything away...Or was it Henry? Dear god, now I'm talking to myself." Slamming the fridge door shut, she opted to just go to a store afterwards to buy crackers or bread or something.

However, when she walked outside on the porch, she was greeted with a pair of bright blue eyes, a smudge of brown hair only a little visible underneath a hood. The boy, looking only about ten or eleven, looked up at her, seeing as he was quite short. "Are you a Shadowhunter?"

Cecily frowned. "Who are you?"

The boy rocked back on his feet, his eyes trained on the runes on her arms. "I'm looking for someone."

"Are you lost?" Cecily repeated, her voice gentle. "Who are you?"

The boy reached back, pulling off his hood, slightly crooked teeth biting his bottom lip. "I'm Oliver Ashdown and I'm looking for James Carstairs. He was my brother's future parabatai, you see, and I've come for him with news."


End file.
